A Month in the Courts of Li
by Tenri Kage
Summary: Princesses Tomoyo and Sakura, along with their cousins Meiling and Chiharu, are requrired by tradition to spend a month in the courts of the Li Kingdom. There, they meet Princes Eriol, Yamazaki, Syaoran, and Ken, and a mysterious threat. ExT SxS CxY MxK
1. News of a Visit Royale

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. Clamp does unfortunately. I do not own the clothes either. Those are also from various Clamp mangas, and a few from Arina Tanemura as well. All that I do own are my ideas.

Enjoy!

Cobalt Rose

A Month in the Courts of Li

News of a Visit Royale

* * *

Tomoyo brushed out her dark violet-black hair, humming to herself. Turning around from her vanity, she paused a moment to take in the scene behind her that had caused her to put down her brush. All her friends were behind her, in the _Chambers Royale_, as they liked to call her elaborate set of rooms in the palace.  
  
Duchess Rika was laughing at a joke while she fixed Countess Meiling's hair. Naoko, the daughter of the court scribe, and a Lady in her own right, was spinning one of her greatest tales yet to the young Countess Chiharu. Tomoyo laughed at the little stuffed toys flying everywhere as well. Though it was a hard kept secret, it was true. Their little circle of friends was also a small group of powerful mages, another reason why they were such close friends.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!" With a crash, her sister, Princess Sakura, dashed into the room, followed by her own Guardian, Kero. In a second, the room was quiet. It had to be something very important to have Sakura's Guardian out in the open where anyone could see him. "Can you believe it?!" she cried. "It's not fair! Mother's sending us off to the Li Kingdom to get MARRIED!!!" Anyone standing outside the chambers would have thought there was an explosion from the collective shriek of "WHAT?!" coming from the room filled with well-bred ladies.  
  
An hour, many more shouts, and two bottles of smelling salts later, Tomoyo finally managed to get the whole story. "So you're saying that Mother and Father had arranged us to visit the Li Kingdom when we were sixteen so that we could spend a month at their court to keep peace between the two kingdoms?" It was an age-old tradition between allied kingdoms to have the princesses of one kingdom visit the court of the other so that peace could be kept, and it was true, marriage had often times been the result in other countries, though not between theirs and the Li kingdom, but there was no such thought of marriage for either herself or Sakura at the moment. "Don't worry Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said reassuringly. "Mother and Father didn't say anything about marriage right? They only said we needed to spend a month at the Li court. We'll make it." She paused, "and who did Father say was going?"  
  
Sakura took a deep breath. "You're going of course," she said, "You're the Crown Princess and heiress to the throne. I'm going, and so are Chiharu- chan and Meiling-chan."  
  
Chiharu looked up, her deep hazel braids, quivering on each side of her head. "Why am I going?" she asked, puzzled. "You and Tomoyo-chan are princesses, so it's imperative that you go, but I'm just a Countess!"  
  
Tomoyo shook her head. "No Chi-chan, it's most likely because you're partly royal blood. I mean, just because you're a bit farther removed from the family than Mei-chan is, it's not likely that Father would leave you out of the traditional trip." She sighed a bit unhappily and her own Guardian, Selene, fluttered to her shoulder. Stroking the dark fur, a purple so deep that it seemed black, she smiled. "Never mind," she remarked to Selene. "Sakura-chan, Chi-chan, Mei-chan, I want to have an audience with Father and Mother, but I think you should all pack. I have a feeling this trip is going to be sooner than any of us could imagine."  
  
Sakura and the others nodded, for when Tomoyo 'had a feeling' it almost always was right.

* * *

With Selene on her shoulder, Tomoyo walked softly down the corridors to the main reception hall. The halls were empty and this allowed her time to speak with her Guardian. "Selene, I don't like this," she mused softly. "Sakura is most likely right. Mother and Father want us to go to the Li Kingdom, not just for peace, but also for marriage." She paused before speaking again. "Then again, I might just be reading to deeply into this," she told the little cat figured Guardian.  
  
Reaching the doors to the reception hall, she paused. Selene laughed softly. "You're always so big on precautions. I guess that's a good thing though. I'm sure Sakura at least might have been caught; Cerberus can be so careless sometimes." She flew lightly down to the crescent-moon shaped pendant key that Tomoyo presented to her. With a soft glow of amethyst hued light, the little Guardian became an intricate feline design on the pendant. _Sometimes I think we should do this more often_ she stated in Tomoyo's mind. _It's much easier when we talk this way and less likely for us to get caught._ Tomoyo smiled. _That may be true,_ she replied, _but I'm sure you'd like to come out and enjoy the outside world, even if the pendant can bring almost whatever you wish to you._ She felt Selene nod in her mind, but if she was going to say something more, she didn't get the chance, for one of the guards opened the doors and she was ushered inside.  
  
Tomoyo paused while the doors behind her were closed and then walked up to the dais where her parents were seated. As Crown Princess there were some advantages. No one was going to bother them and they were totally alone. "Come up Tomoyo-chan," called her father, and she did so obligingly. A large pair of lavender tinged wings sprouted from her shoulders and it was mere seconds before she was at the dais that would have taken a good deal of walking to get up the stairs. Her father laughed at the display.  
  
"How is the coven," Nadeshiko, her mother, teased. Her parents knew of their powers and her mother often teased them that they were just like a small coven of witches, being all females. Tomoyo blushed pink. Her family and the "coven" were the only ones who could make her blush, and her mother had a special knack that none of the others had.  
  
"Naoko-chan has been telling Chiharu-chan stories again, but she's found it harder and harder to get Chiharu-chan to believe them, and blames it on Chiharu-chan's brothers. It seems they've picked up Naoko-chan's love of telling stories and they do it constantly to Chiharu-chan. She's gotten quite good at picking up lies from truth, no matter how cunningly Naoko- chan tries to hide the facts. It seems Rika-chan is quite happy these days. I'm wondering if it was anything to do with Sir Tereda-san. Meiling- chan is quite happy practicing her magic. It seems she and Syrinx have been practicing, but don't tell Meiling-chan I caught her." Tomoyo laughed along with her parents at this, then continued her recount of her friends. "And Sakura-chan was very surprised at the mention of the trip to the Li Kingdom. We all were for that matter."  
  
King Fujitaka sighed. "My daughter," he began, but Tomoyo shook her head. "It's okay father. We were just surprised, that's all. Actually, I think it might be a good idea for us all to get out." Her father laughed. "My Tomoyo-chan, so understanding of her father, sometimes I wonder what I would have done without you." He motioned for her to sit down. "So Tomoyo- chan, I will tell you about this trip. You will be leaving tomorrow and though the trip itself would only take a week, it would probably take you and the coven only three days to reach the palace. Since you will be gone for a month, we sent the maids to your rooms to help you arrange your wardrobes. Your Guardians are to go with you, of course, but other than that, we really couldn't spare much more than a small retinue. I think it would be best if you packed now. You will be leaving early tomorrow."  
  
Tomoyo smiled at her father and mother, bowed politely, and dismissed herself the way she came, flying down to the doors by way of large, lavender tinged wings.

* * *

"What did Father say?" asked an anxious Sakura when she had returned to the Chambers Royale.  
  
"We're leaving tomorrow," Tomoyo replied with a smile. "Don't worry Sakura- chan, it'll be fun." Selene popped out of the pendant, her light violet fairy-like wings fluttering. "Now, why don't we pack?"  
  
Tomoyo pulled the small pendant key from under her shirt. In a whirl of magic it changed into a long staff with a crescent moon with wings at one end. Pointing it at her wardrobes, she directed several rows of clothing to fly about into trunks and suitcases. Another flick of the staff brought her Book of Moonlight into the room. It floated above her as she brought other things that she needed, jewelry and toiletries and books as well as magical artifacts, into the trunks prepared by the maids. She ordered them up nicely, different things going into different trunks. Then, opening the Book of the Moon, she shrunk one of the trunks so that it fit easily into the palm of her hand.  
  
Finally, her magic working done, she let her magic retreat. The staff returned to being a pendant and the Book landed softly into her hands.  
  
"Sugoi!!" cried Sakura. Imitating Tomoyo, she got her magic to do just as Tomoyo's did, though it was a little harder for her because she was in Tomoyo's rooms. The sound of footsteps caused them to hurriedly put away their Books as their Guardians fell limp like stuffed animals. A tall, pale skinned man with dark, blue-lavender eyes and long black hair entered the room. His hair, tied at the base of his neck and trailing down to his knees, was dark black. His bangs were unruly and fell slightly over his deep, blue-gray-lavender eyes, and all in all, he was very handsome.  
  
"Good evening, Ion," Tomoyo greeted her other Guardian. He bowed to her. "Majesty, I am here to pick up your things." Tomoyo sighed. "Ion, please call me Tomoyo." She had tried to break him of the habit of calling her 'majesty,' but it hadn't worked very well. Ion nodded, "Yes Tomoyo-sama." Tomoyo sighed again. At least it was an improvement. She directed her things to Ion as Yue entered the room. He took Sakura's things and both silent Guardians left.  
  
She changed into one of the nightgowns that she hadn't had packed for the trip, bade Sakura goodnight, and snuggled into her bed. Selene, hard to distinguish from the dark of the night unless you searched for her violet eyes, wings, or ears, curled up next to her and the two fell asleep. Outside, sleepless Ion guarded the chambers from anyone who could harm the Princess.

* * *

The Next Day 

A ray of golden sunshine fell over Tomoyo's eyes, causing her to blink rapidly. It was the day of their departure and she was anxious to leave. Unsure of how to dress, she had consulted Ion, and was wearing his suggestion, a simple lavender gown, tied with a deeper hued sash. The gown was sleeveless, but she wore a pale lavender shirt with long sleeves under it. The dress accented her royal aura and her slim, petit form, flowing out and swishing pleasantly around her ankles. Her ensemble was completed by a pretty, simple pair of brown boots, sensible and comfortable. She knew full well that she wouldn't be walking but instead riding a spacious carriage, but she had ordered her mare Atlantis to be saddled for the trip as well, and she insisted on riding part way.  
  
The carriage that held the four girls was quite an interesting contraption. Designed by one of their court inventors, it was a lot larger than a normal carriage. Anyone looking at it might have thought it was just an abnormally large carriage, but the girls knew better. The interior was magically modified to be even larger than it seemed, and the roof was high enough so that anyone could walk around without bumping their heads, even Yue and Ion, much less the petit princesses and their relatives. Much of the carriage interior was raised mattresses with cushions and pillows everywhere.  
  
Tomoyo lay curled up in a little nest of pillows and blankets, Selene at her usual perch on her left shoulder, reading the book in Tomoyo's hands. Tomoyo on the other hand was watching the forest outside pass by, the light breeze ruffling her dark hair. Her boots were laid neatly by the door of the carriage. Sakura and Meiling were playing a board game with their Guardians, but from Chiharu and her Guardian, Teiron, who looked somewhat like a stuffed toy quetzal with a long tail, all light, cloud blue in color, came a strong aura of magic. Curious, Tomoyo walked over on bare feet with Selene on her shoulder.  
  
"Chi-chan?" she asked, slipping back into the shortened forms of their names that they'd created as children, "What are you doing?"  
  
Chiharu looked up, blushing guiltily. "No-nothing Tomoyo-chan..." The look she received brooked no argument. "I'm just playing around with my magic really, trying to see what the people of the Li Kingdom are like."  
  
Tomoyo laughed. "Why didn't I think of something like that?" She sat down next to Chiharu, opened her Book as well, and pulled out one of her Moon cards. "Why don't we combine our powers?" she asked. "That way neither of us will be too tired if we hold the spell for long periods of time." Both picked a card and, using a skill that their mage-master, Kaho Mizuki, had taught them, brought forth their magic without having to use their staffs which were large at the best of times and would not fit, even in their spacious carriage.  
  
The sudden burst of magic soon had Sakura and Meiling abandoning their game, Kero, munching on a cookie from Sakura's bag following them. Meiling's Guardian, Ladon, a shining ruby colored, sharp eyed, feline like Selene, though more masculine, swung from one of her pigtails, hanging down to her waist. Tomoyo and Chiharu had managed to create a miniature pool of water for scrying. Just as the four other members of the royal retinue got there, the carriage lurched, sending Meiling headfirst into to pool, along with Ladon. Water splashed in a gigantic wave, soaking both Tomoyo and Chiharu to the skin, as well as both their Guardians. Sakura laughed delightedly along with the others, but just as Meiling managed to get out of the deep pool that had been created, the carriage lurched again, and with a slip, Sakura fell into the pool.  
  
Tomoyo sat in a small pool formed by the water dripping off her, trying not to laugh and failing miserably. A spell that they had learned long ago and applied to their Books kept them from getting wet, but it gave them no such protection. Reaching over, Tomoyo took a card out from her deck and soon the carriage interior was as clean as could be. "This time," Sakura remarked, "I think we should try using a mirror." The girls laughed and then started on their task in earnest.  
  
Unfortunately, they had little time for magic working, because the procession didn't mean they had nothing to do. Soon, Ion entered and explained about the whole trip. "You should all know that there is a tradition between our kingdom and the other that the unwed females of the royal bloodline should visit their court to maintain the peace between the two countries. This was always to happen in the sixteenth year of the Crown Princess' life," he nodded to Tomoyo. "There is another part of this story though. There is a reason why our royal family has nothing but princesses and their royal family nothing but princes. Long ago, the powerful mage Clow Reed cast a spell on the two kingdoms who wished to be united. That doesn't mean that either Tomoyo-sama or Sakura-san will be forced to marry any of the princes. Clow Reed specifically added into his spell that the princesses and princes were to be given the free choice on whether or not they wished to marry, and so far, neither of the two families has agreed to a match."  
  
"So... we aren't pressured into marrying or anything?" asked Sakura tentatively.  
  
"No Sakura-san," Ion answered. "A princess can decline any hand she wishes. Indeed, it once happened that a princess was pressured into marrying, but the ceremony is performed in a temple that Clow built, and his statue tells whether or not their love is true. If it isn't, then the princess does not marry the prince. Do not worry Sakura-san; it is less pressure on you. The only person who will have anything to worry about is Tomoyo-sama. As Crown Princess, it falls to her shoulders whether or not the two kingdoms are truly joined." Tomoyo sighed. She hadn't expected something this elaborate, but she was also relieved. If marriage was the underlying reason, other than peace, for their visit, then she was glad that she would not be forced to marry someone she did not love completely.  
  
"Thank you Ion," she smiled. "I would like to ride outside now, if the others didn't mind." Ion nodded and halted the carriage. Tomoyo, accompanied by Selene, swung herself sidesaddle, onto Atlantis. She waved to her friends and younger sister back in the carriage. 'We'll continue to tinker with the scrying ok?' Sakura mouthed to her. Tomoyo giggled and nodded before turning her attention to the road.

* * *

Four Days Later 

In the small snatches of time they had managed to get between their continued lessons, because even on the road there was no stopping lessons, Ion's discussions about the legend of the two kingdoms and their entwined fates, and their own small duties, for they had to bear gifts to the Li court and the princes, they finally finished their scrying mirror. When the question of who was to keep it arose, Chiharu had grinned and duplicated the mirror so they each had one to carry around. Not to be outdone, Meiling placed a spell on them so that they would grow and shrink to the holder's needs. Tomoyo contributed by connecting the sight the mirror projected with the things that the holder wished to see, and Sakura spelled them to work like an ordinary mirror when they were not being used to scry. Tomoyo grinned at their joint handiwork, pulled out some lengths of braided cord, and attached one to each mirror, for identification. The cord, though they had started out pure white, instantly became the color of the owner's aura.  
  
Now, Tomoyo was curled up in her little nest of pillows and blankets where she'd slept every night, gazing into the mirror. She had caught the Li family eating dinner and so examined them at her leisure. The king seemed powerful and stern, but kind to his family, and she liked him on first sight. His dark brown hair, hardly showing any grey, fell over his eyes and shook when he laughed. The queen also gave a powerful aura of magic, and it seemed she commanded a great respect from her sons. Directing the mirror closer, she observed the faces of the princes. The eldest, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, was pale like his mother, with her blue-black hair. His deep blue eyes held hints of mischief, as well as polite kindness.  
  
Tomoyo decided he looked kind and polite and princely, but when he suddenly smiled, mysteriously and mischievously, she knew that the eldest would be someone interesting; someone who could be her friend. Moving her attentions to the boy across from him, she noted his hair, which resembled his mother's in shade, but his father's in unruliness. He seemed no older than the eldest prince, but he smiled just as much as the prince, who was obviously his friend as well as his brother. Still, she decided she liked the smile of the eldest prince better. It held mysteries that she was more than willing to explore.  
  
The next two princes were almost identical except for the slight difference in hair color and the color of their eyes. One, had deep hazel eyes, warm and yet closed. He scowled often at his dark-haired older brother, but it was plain to see that his scowls were ones of sibling rivalry and friendship. Tomoyo decided she liked this dark-brown haired, seventeen year old looking prince as well. His twin had lighter hair and amber eyes so light that they seemed clear and almost yellow. His eyes were more open, but also deadly, and this mysterious aura was puzzling. Farther down the table was more of the royal guard, lads in their twenties and no one of much interest. She went back to watching the royal family eat, and felt almost certain that the dark haired prince had glanced up through the mirror, but she added more intensity to her concealment charm and he looked away.  
  
She cleared her mirror and called Sakura, Meiling, and Chiharu to her with an idea. "We were supposed to make gifts for the royal family right? Well, I think it would be best if the four of us created our own gifts for the four princes. We aren't forced to marry, so we could at least try to be friends. Let us each pick one prince, watch him, and create a gift that the prince will like." Sakura clapped her hands. "Let's choose them right now!" she cried, and the four girls looked intently over the dinner scene, which had not yet finished.  
  
After a few minutes, they decided. Tomoyo was to take the eldest prince, Chiharu the one across from him. Meiling decided she wanted to follow the prince with the light amber eyes, and Sakura agreed, for she was curious about the darker haired one. Tomoyo smiled. Turning back to her own corner, she began to watch the prince once more.  
  
It took only until midday the next day for Tomoyo to figure out what was the best gift for the eldest. She was surprised at his powerful aura, and found that he frequented the library a great deal. His magic powers astounded her, but it seemed that the prince liked the more obscure spells as well as their stories, and it frustrated him, having them scattered over many different volumes, so hard to have all at once. Tomoyo smiled sweetly down at him and decided to make it a bit easier. Over the few days left, she collected spells and their stories from all of the cards that she had, also using Sakura's cards, Meiling's cards, and Chiharu's cards. Whenever the eldest prince opened one of the magical texts, she would copy them and place them into the steadily growing book. With one day to go before their arrival, Tomoyo had collected all the spells and stories she could. She decorated the leather-bound book with magic runes and stored it into her trunk of magic artifacts.  
  
Sakura watched the hazel-eyed prince carefully, learning that he was intent upon his training in both magic and martial arts. Suddenly, she realized what he needed most. Calling up her power, the Sword, the Through, the Create, the Lock, the Power, the Silent, and the Shield, they created a magical sword that only the hazel-eyed prince could use. She used her magic to ensure that the sword would never give away the owner by making noise, that it could cut through many things, and amplify the strength of the bearer. Satisfied by her strong magical working, she then created a sheath, one of the only things that the sword couldn't cut through, and promptly fell asleep.  
  
Meiling had a hard time deciding just what gift to get the amber eyed prince. He used no sword and had no need of one because his style of martial arts was hand-to-hand, he liked books but there was nothing that he seemed to want, for their library was quite extensive. She could not know what to get him. Then, she chanced to see him practicing a certain move that he could not execute for the move was quite ancient and powerful, and also almost forgotten. She clapped her hands delightedly and took out her Book. Traveling back in time, she compiled several ancient, long forgotten, and very powerful moves into one scroll which she packed into a case and spelled so that nothing could harm it.  
  
Chiharu smiled down at the close-eyed prince. She had long since learned how to lip-read from her mother, telling her it was going to come in handy someday, and spent long hours reading the most amusing stories from his lips. She contacted Naoko and, with her assistance, wrote a book filled with ridiculous stories explaining the most minor things. She read it herself once and laughed herself to tears. Later, she congratulated Naoko, for Sakura had actually believed a great deal of the stories. Still wiping tears of laughter from her lashes, she fell asleep, the thick book in a box beside her.  
  
Tomoyo stared into her mirror. It was late at night and Ion had said they were going to arrive at the palace by early midmorning, but she could not sleep. Even little Selene had succumbed to slumber. Stroking the dark fur of her Guardian, she found the eldest prince in his personal library, reading in one of the comfortable chairs. She blushed, noting he was wearing a dark blue, silk robe with subtle patterns woven into it, even darker, loose, pajama pants, and nothing else. She urged the mirror closer until she could see what he was reading. It was a history of the two countries and the spell that Clow Reed had woven. Tomoyo looked puzzled, for there was an identical book like that in her own library. She had read the table of contents and put the book down, but now she remembered the words clearly. Looking at the heading on the section he read, she noticed he was not reading the way the spell was cast or how it worked, but more, why Clow did what he did, and judging by the small smile that played around his lips, he liked that the two families could only intermarry on account of true love. She wondered why he was smiling and hoped it was because he wished to marry for true love and not because he wished not to marry at all. _Now why did I think that?_ She mused. Did she want him to marry for true love? And why was she hoping that he did marry when it was hardly any business of hers?  
  
Suddenly, the prince turned and looked straight into her eyes through the mirror, a small smile playing on his lips. Her insides froze as she realized he could see her. A sizzling burst of pure magic appeared in her mind and she heard his soft words clearly as if they had been sitting side by side. _I can see you my beautiful princess._ Tomoyo's eyes widened in shock. She felt caught, unable to move, mesmerized by the prince's eyes, unable to clear her mirror because of the power behind them. His aura was deep blue, darker than ever hers, saturated with ancient knowledge and strength. _I've never really looked straight into your eyes,_ her mind idly mused, for she had gotten into the habit of speaking to his image as if he were her friend or companion. _Nor I yours, my princess,_ he replied with a sweet smile, much like the one she had seen when he had tended his personal greenhouse, complete with garden and orchard. With a gasp, Tomoyo was freed from her shock and she hastily cleared her mirror, feeling the connection between them snap.  
  
Her heart beat wildly and a flood of emotions filled her until she felt ready to burst. Horror, fear, awe at his strength and power, even greater than hers, guilt and puzzlement at how he could have seen her when she regularly kept up her concealment charms, shame and embarrassment at being caught, even when she felt that he would not tell of the incident to anyone, but most of all, there was another emotion, causing her cheeks to blush on their own accord. _What was that all about?! _

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Review please!

Cobalt Rose


	2. Arrival at the Foreign Court

A Month in the Courts of Li

Arrival at the Foreign Court

* * *

The procession slowed as they neared the gates and Sakura nervously smoothed her clothes. Her dress was a strapless, pale cream dress tied with a slim pink sash. Designs chased one another along the top edge of the dress, a few inches lower than her collarbones, in the same color as the sash. Her gloves reached up past her elbows and had the same designs in pink on the white leather too. She nervously glanced over at her friends, fingering the pink silk choker with the rose beryl pendant, and was relieved to see that they weren't faring much better than her.  
  
Chiharu wore a strapless, pale, cloud blue dress edged in ribbon of a deeper shade of blue that clung to her at the top and flowed pleasantly out from the waist downward.. The back of her dress was laced up with the same blue ribbon and tied in a slim, simple bow, and a simple, light blue silk choker with a blue zircon pendant hung at her throat. Her right sandal also had ribbon that curled up almost to her knee. She was flipping through her gift book with a small, concerned frown on her face, and she was muttering to herself, Teiron at her shoulder trying to calm her down.  
  
Meiling's dress was almost identical to that of Chiharu's except that it was not laced and instead had a wide sash of the deepest red. Her sandals did not have ribbons curling up her legs, but they had thin straps and a little golden flame shaped buckles. She held her choker in her hand, the deep red garnet that was the pendant was no longer on the length of silk but instead it had changed into the staff in her hand, for their pendants were all concealment charms for their staffs. Twin red ribbons held her hair in their customary buns and trailed down next to her straight hair, Ladon at his customary perch on top of her head. Her staff was at its smaller size, for the great staff would not have fit. The power that it could channel was less, but not a lot less, and the smaller size was also more convenient at times.  
  
Tomoyo was the only one who seemed unfazed by their arrival at the court. Her dress was a creamy white with many ribbons. The only straps it had were two violet ribbons over her shoulders. The top clung to her body and was edged with ribbon as well as pale, lavender ruffles. The sleeves were puffed and had thin violet ribbons laced through the top nearest to her shoulders. The bottom of the puff was tied with a bow of the same, and then trailed down just above her elbows. The sleeves continued longer to her wrists where there were more ruffles, again tied by more ribbon. Her waist was encircled by an amethyst hued sash. From there, the dress stopped clinging to her form and flowed around her, the bottom hem edged in lavender lace. Her sandals were much like a combination of Chiharu's and Meiling's, thin strapped with ribbon curling up her left leg until it stopped at a bow just below her knee. Her choker was of the same silk ribbon as the ones on her dress, and held a rare amethyst spinel as the pendant. Selene was not on her shoulder and instead was the illusive glint of gold that shone from within the smooth gem at her throat.  
  
She sat regally in her nest of pillows, gazing dreamily out the window of the carriage, watching the towns as they grew ever smaller within the forest of green below. She wished that she could ride Atlantis, but knew that the uphill climb on horseback would have done ill for her dress, so she had refrained. A princess must always look her best, especially when visiting foreign courts. It was a matter of minutes before their carriage leveled out and rode smoothly over the cobblestones of the palace walk. Her view let her see the gate of the castle as they passed under it and they soon slowed to a stop.  
  
Trumpets were blown in a fanfare, and the carriage door soon opened.  
  
Chiharu shivered, nervously. As the farthest away from royalty, it was her duty to exit the carriage first. She held the hand that Yue extended lightly and smoothly stepped from carriage to cobblestones without a problem. She suppressed the urge to sigh with relief. _That wasn't so bad, was it now?_ Chided Teiron with what sounded suspiciously like a laugh. _Alright, it wasn't that bad,_ she conceded, but as she stepped to one side, she cautiously took a glance at the prince whose gift she had created. _He looks even kinder and more open in real life,_ she said, forgetting that Teiron could hear her. _And yet his eyes don't really seem to ever open, do they,_ came his reply. Chiharu blushed a light pink and glanced again at the prince. He smiled at her and her blush deepened without her knowing it.  
  
Meiling hurriedly let Ladon into her pendant before taking Yue's hand and stepping out of the carriage on her turn. She took in the whole scene, regiments of the royal guard out to meet them, the King Li, Queen Yelan, and the Princes all out on the main steps. The king and princes all wore almost identical sets of clothing. High, white collar in the Chinese style, a delicately embroidered over robe, that reached the ground, and loose pants of the same white material as the shirt. The over robe itself was loose around the neck, had long, wide sleeves, and when the king raised his hand to greet her, she noticed a flash of white and concluded that under the robe was one whole suit of white. The robe split near the hips, had a front half and a back half, and had a sash of thick silk around the waist.  
  
Sakura held tightly to Yue's hand as she stepped out of the carriage. He led her away to one side as she was announced as princess of her country. Her eyes looked at the prince whose gift she had created and then to the sword that hung at his waist. Well, they all had swords at their waists except the prince Meiling had been assigned to follow and the queen, but Sakura blushed with embarrassment. _Kero! He already has a sword!! What am I to do? This is going to be so embarrassing.... _Kero sighed. It was customary of Sakura to be flustered. _Don't worry. You have to remember that your sword was made from magic, and that one, no matter how fine, could probably not compare._ Sakura laughed mentally and then smiled. She didn't notice how the other prince blushed.  
  
Tomoyo smoothed her dark tresses on last time before taking Ion's hand and stepping out of the carriage and onto the cobblestones. She swept her dress up in an elaborate curtsy as the crier announced, "Crown Princess Tomoyo of the Kinomoto Kingdom." She caught the eyes of the eldest prince and saw him wink subtly at her. No one else seemed to notice and she colored slightly in remembrance of last night's events. His smile seemed to broaden, though she couldn't be sure, and with Ion at her side, she entered the palace.

* * *

Main Reception Hall 

King Li nodded to each of the royal females in turn before introducing his own family. "I am King Li, this is my wife Queen Yelan, and our four sons, Eriol, Yamazaki, Syaoran, and Ken. We are indefinitely pleased to have you in our court for the month. The princes will lead you to your chambers."  
  
Tomoyo stepped forward before the princes could escort them away. "The Kinomoto Kingdom would first like to present gifts to the Li Kingdom." Ion and Yue carried in boxes of gold and bolts of precious silks and satins.  
  
King Li nodded to her. "The Li Kingdom will send gifts back to the Kinomoto Kingdom when you return."  
  
"We also have gifts that we wish to present the princes with," spoke up Sakura, and nodded to Tomoyo. Smiling, Tomoyo motioned for Ion to bring up her gift and stepped up to Eriol.  
  
"Prince Eriol, I present to you this book filled with ancient spells, their histories, and the stories behind them. I hope you enjoy this gift from my kingdom," she said, speaking to him clearly and smiling her innocent smile.  
  
Eriol stepped closer to her until he had almost invaded her personal space. "I thank you greatly, lovely princess, for getting this book that I have from long since desired. I hope you enjoy your stay with us," he paused momentarily, then continued in a whisper that was meant for her ears only. "You have strong, powerful magic, my princess, but you must be wary when you use it. There are things working here that even I do not understand." He pulled away, taking the book from her hands, the polite smile back on. It was a complete change from the worried look, filled with concern that she had seen in his eyes only moments before.  
  
Startled, she pulled back as he bowed, curtsied automatically, and withdrew, heart pounding from the second encounter with the mysterious Prince Eriol.  
  
Sakura stepped forward, sword wrapped in light linen cloth in her hands. "Prince Syaoran," she said, "I present to you this sword. It can cut through almost any material, can only be wielded by your hands, and swings as silent as the falling of a feather. I bequeath you this gift from my kingdom." She unwrapped the sword and held it out to him.  
  
Syaoran stepped forward, his eyes already marveling the craftsmanship of the sheath. Taking the sword from her hands, he pulled it out of the sheath, marveling its perfect balance and keen edge. He gave it a few experimental swings and was surprised when she held out a thick bar of steel. He tested it magically to see if it was rigged, but it wasn't, so he slashed at it, half expecting it not to go through. At first he thought he'd missed the bar completely, but it fell to the ground, split in two, and he realized that the sword was so powerful that there had been no resistance. "A fine and wondrous gift, princess," he told her, bowing his thanks. She blushed pleasantly and he found himself liking the cute shade of pink that crept across her cheeks. What am I thinking?! He asked himself, turning a light red with embarrassment.  
  
Meiling stepped forward to the Prince Ken and extended her hands. "I, Countess Meiling Wei present to you from my kingdom, this scroll. It holds many techniques that have almost been lost, and is spelled to keep it from wear."  
  
Ken stepped forward and took the scroll from the countess' outstretched hands. Opening it, he examined the techniques, and the first one he saw was the one that he had struggled to complete a few days ago. His eyes widened. They were all here, ancient techniques, how to execute them, how to learn them, and how they were created. To Meiling, it seemed that his gratitude was thanks enough, and the funny feeling that she got whenever she had looked at him intensified.  
  
"You have my eternal thanks, countess," he said. "You might not know how precious your gift has been to me. I will treasure it forever."  
  
"I do," Meiling whispered almost inaudibly, face pink.  
  
"What?" Ken asked, puzzled.  
  
"I do know how precious the gift is," she whispered before returning to her spot.  
  
Finally, Chiharu stepped forward, book in her hands. "Prince Yamazaki, I, Countess Chiharu Mihara, present you with a gift from my kingdom. A friend, the daughter of our court scribe, Lady Naoko Yanagisawa helped to compile this book." She handed him the book.  
  
"Thank you, countess," Yamazaki told her. "Incidentally, did you know that the giving of gifts started long ago in the deserts? When one tribe met another for formal gatherings, they would both have to travel long distances, so it was the custom for both tribes to exchange water and fruits when they met, as a sign of goodwill. Unfortunately, when the chief's son of one tribe accidentally poisoned the other chief's wife, they decided water and fruits, or anything else that could be ingested, should not be a gift, so they started giving things that could BUY those things instead. That's why when one royal family visits another they bring gold and riches."  
  
Chiharu laughed delightedly. "You're even better than Naoko! And you will like this book. It holds many tales just like the one you just told me. I am sure your highness will enjoy it."  
  
The king, slightly flustered by the thought of more of Yamazaki's confusing tales hurriedly asked his sons to show their guests to their rooms.

* * *

Tomoyo and Eriol 

Tomoyo shivered almost imperceptibly as she walked beside Eriol. He had seen through her concealment charm, no mean feat for anyone, and had talked to her through a mind connection. _Selene, what do I do? I can't help but feel a little afraid of him._ She felt Selene pat her comfortingly in her mind. _Don't worry Tomoyo, something will come up. I can feel it.  
_  
"Princess," Tomoyo jumped slightly out of her mental conversation and turned to Eriol. They were alone in the hallway and she couldn't help but feel unease at their seclusion from everyone else. Eriol nodded to her slightly and confusion made her tilt her head to one side, curious. A dark, midnight blue beam of magic aura emanated from the clasp at his collar. It was a curious, golden sun shaped thing with a feline design much like the one her key pendant held when Selene was inside, but from the dark light came a feline Guardian, much like her own. He was just like a blue identical counterpart to her Selene.  
  
Her own amethyst spinel shone as Selene exited the Guardian holding world. "Spinel Sun," she greeted formally. "I didn't know you were Prince Eriol's Guardian."  
  
"Selene Moon," Spinel answered. "Likewise."  
  
"Wait, Selene, what's going on?" Tomoyo asked, confused and bewildered.  
  
Selene turned to her creator. "We Guardians are the creations of great mages, but Clow Reed created a universe for Guardians. It's where we go when we enter into your pendants. Spinel Sun and I met in that universe. We aren't allowed to speak of who are masters are, but we can talk about ourselves, our personalities, and our magical powers."  
  
Tomoyo nodded her understanding. "Prince Eriol,"  
  
"Please, leave the prince off, it seems too formal," the prince countered.  
  
Tomoyo nodded again, "Eriol-kun, what were these things working here that you did not fully know about?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not here my princess. I will escort you to your quarters before continuing." Spinel few by his ear and Selene perched on her shoulder, both Guardians alert. Tomoyo decided to let the princess comment slide. She would correct Eriol later.  
  
It did not take long for them to arrive at her chambers. They weren't as resplendent as her Chambers Royale at her own palace, but they were lovely all the same. For a few minutes she marveled at the quaint furnishings of the rooms before turning to Eriol. She found him in the parlor room, sitting in one of the plush armchairs at a small round table. She took the chair opposite him and sipped at the cup of tea that he had conjured up. "Please continue about the things, Eriol-kun," she requested.  
  
"I see you are not to be deterred. Indeed, they are odd happenings. Father is worried. You have seen my brothers and I practicing our magic and our martial arts," Eriol smiled at her blush, "but this is all because recently, magic has been attacking our palace. At the moment, the Shield cards of my brothers and I am protecting the palace, but we cannot hold the protection for long. That is why you have to be careful when you do magic. Because our shield will not last for long, we must call it back often to replenish the power, and when that happens, me must use as little magic as possible, for working magic is what attracts the power that attacks us. We've tried everything we could, but we still can't seem to trace the power back. Our magic reaches a certain point and then it just disappears. We've never been up against something like this. It isn't magic, it's un- magic."  
  
Tomoyo hesitated momentarily before laying a pale white hand on Eriol's. "My sister Sakura and our cousins Meiling and Chiharu will surely help you and your brothers." She fought down the blush that threatened to rise and pulled her hand away.  
  
Eriol caught her hand again. "Princess, why do you pledge you and your family in a battle that is not yours?" he asked.  
  
"We are here, are we not? We can do at least this much to protect ourselves as well, and our kingdoms are allies. We are also mages, so it is as much a threat to us as it is to you, and please, call me Tomoyo," she said, extricating her hand from his grasp.  
  
Spinel and Selene looked up from the book they were reading together on the couch. "Is she allowed to do that?" he asked curiously, "You know, pledging the help of her family like that." Selene nodded. "She's the crown princess after all, and only her family and her other mage friends know about their powers." Spinel nodded, reassured, and they turned back to their book.  
  
"I must thank you Tomoyo-san for the book you gave me. It will prove to be very useful. I know you and your family meant these gifts to please us, but just because I have been searching through the many magic books in our palace library, that doesn't mean it is just for this one occasion. Your book will help us greatly, and I will treasure this creation of yours." He paused as if searching for a topic of conversation. "What Book do you have?" he asked.  
  
Tomoyo smiled, for this was a question she liked. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll tell you about the Books my friends and I have first, then you can tell me what Books you and your brothers have." Eriol nodded to this and she continued. "My sister Sakura, who is sixteen, holds the Book of Stars. She received it from our mage-master Kaho Mizuki-sensei. Meiling is holder of the Book of Flames, the magic Book handed down to the mages of her family line. Chiharu is mistress of the Book of Sky, the Book of her family. Naoko holds the Book of Spirits, and she can speak to the ghosts of people who have died. Rika is holder of the Book of Earth, and keeps the lands in our kingdom healthy. I have the Book of the Moon, one of the two Books that Clow Reed himself created."  
  
Eriol smiled, "Ah yes, the Book of the Moon. You gather your strength directly from Clow Reed then, do you not? But also, you gather your strength from the holder of the Book of the Sun, often called the Book of Clow, because the Book of the Moon is less known. I must thank you Tomoyo- san, for I have been long searching the holder of the Book of the Moon, and I didn't find her until today."  
  
Tomoyo looked up at him, confusion and realization mixed in her eyes. "You mean, you have..."  
  
Eriol nodded. "Yes Tomoyo-san, I am the holder of Clow Reed's Book of the Sun.

* * *

Sakura and Syaoran 

"Thank you Princess Sakura for the sword," said Syaoran quietly as they walked down the silent halls.  
  
She shook her head, "It's Sakura. Being called a princess is too formal ne? I would call you Li-kun, but as your brothers are all Li-kun, you don't mind if I call you Syaoran-kun right?"  
  
Syaoran shook his head, blushing like a cherry. Sakura didn't notice.  
  
They arrived at her rooms shortly afterwards. Syaoran made sure Sakura could find her rooms again, and then suggested they visit the sakura trees out in the orchard. Sakura, with many smiles and laughs, agreed.  
  
At the orchard, Sakura stared up through the blossom laden branches of the sakura trees, weaving a few blossoms into a small weeping willow wreath. Turning to Syaoran with the wreath in her hair, she laughed at his look of surprise. She handed him a sakura. "They're so pretty and delicate, and they only bloom for a week. I'm so glad we came right now!"  
  
Syaoran was about to reply when a black bolt of lightning shot down from the sky. Grasping Sakura's wrist, he pulled her behind him, his new sword already in his hand. A flick of his wrist was all it took to nullify the dark blast of magic, but when he turned back to Sakura, he saw the look in her eyes. He sighed. It looked like he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.  
  
"Um...hehe Sakura I..." he trailed of helplessly.  
  
She looked at him. "Start from the beginning and go slowly."  
  
"....and so," he wrapped up, "there's a shield around us for the most part...though that bolt must have gotten past a weak point, and we don't want your family in danger. We didn't know your family had mages and all, for the demons are attracted to working magic."  
  
Sakura nodded understandingly. Calling out her staff, she took out her Shield card and patched up the weak spot in their protection. "There, now you don't have to use more of your energy," she stated. She giggled at Syaoran's look of astonishment. He looked back and forth between the staff still in her hand and the sword at his hip.  
  
"You made this?" he asked, clearly mystified.  
  
Sakura nodded, suddenly blushing again. "Tomoyo-chan looked up some ancient books in our library and found how to make magical weapons. We can all turn our staffs into different weapons, but of course, we all favor something in particular. I like to use the short staff with blades at both ends, like a cheerleading baton," she explained. "Tomoyo-chan and Rika- chan back at home both like the fencing saber, though Tomoyo-chan is very good at archery too, and Meiling-chan doesn't need weapons because she fights hand-to-hand. Then again, she changes her staff into two small blades to use while fighting, so I guess you could say she likes that. Chiharu-chan likes to use a long staff of wood, but it has no blades and the ends are capped in magical symbols that move around funny when you stare at them for too long. Naoko-chan at home doesn't fight, but she and Tomoyo-chan are excellent strategists."  
  
Syaoran laughed. "You and your friends are very talented. It is too bad that so few people can admire your skills."

* * *

Meiling and Ken 

Ken pored over the scroll in his hands, leading Meiling off with him towards her chambers. Even though he was reading it intently, he never bumped into the walls or anything. Finally, they arrived at Meiling's rooms. "I hope you don't mind, there a little plain," he said, still reading.  
  
"Are you kidding?" she asked. "These rooms are a lot better than the ones I have at home. After all, I'm a countess, not a princess." She paused as he kept on reading. "Do you have any practice rooms here?" she asked curiously. "Sitting in a carriage for a week hasn't done any good for my daily practices."  
  
This caught Ken's attention. "You practice martial arts?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice.  
  
Meiling nodded with a grin. She had found something to catch this prince's attention. "I've been taught ever since I was really little, and the same goes for all the others. Even Tomoyo and Chiharu. If you take me to a practice room, I'll spar with you or something." It was a rash decision she was making most likely; she hadn't practiced in a week, and Ken was probably a lot better than her, but if this caught his attention, so be it.  
  
He grabbed her hand and led away the blushing Meiling. _Well, that's one person eager to practice, _she mused quietly. _Or he just wants to grab your hand,_ countered Ladon. _LADON!!_ Her mind shriek was practically deafening, but her embarrassment was just as loud in Ladon's ears.  
  
They arrived, breathing a bit harder than before, Ken pulled off his heavy over robe, and tossed it over a chair. There were three of them in the room. It was a well lit place and the room they were in had good, solid floors for running on and pushing off of. She was glad, she hated to slip and fall.  
  
"Wait here a sec Meiling-san," "Meiling," she corrected automatically. Ken smiled. "Meiling then, wait here. I want to change into more comfortable clothes. You might look in that room behind you. There weren't many people who liked to fight, but we still have clothes from when Mother was your age."  
  
Meiling nodded, headed into the room, and closed the door behind her. She concentrated; thinking of what clothes would be comfortable to fight in. She came up with a pair of white pants that resembled the ones that Ken wore, and a short sleeved, form-fitting over robe of red. Satisfied with her mental picture, she called for her Create card and soon, those exact clothes were in her arms. Storing her magical things away, she hastily changed out of her dress and into the fighting clothes. She hadn't thought up of shoes, but she didn't mind, for she practiced better barefooted.  
  
Opening the door she almost crashed into Ken. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the stern look in his eyes made her stop. For a moment, she thought he was going to shout at her, but then the look in his eyes disappeared. "Meiling! Ready? Alright then, let's get started. First one to get knocked out the circle is the loser, agreed?" Meiling nodded, noticing the wide circle of blue drawn on the floor.  
  
She focused on Ken and stifled a small squeak for he was wearing white pants, identical to the pair she wore, a short sleeved silk shirt in light green that wasn't buttoned up at the front, and no shoes. She shook her head lightly. It wouldn't do any good to get absorbed in staring at him during the battle. It was most likely the thing that would make her lose. Stiffening her resolve, she took her place opposite him and sunk into a battle pose.  
  
"You fight hand-to-hand?" Ken asked.  
  
"Yes. My cousins and friends prefer fighting with weapons, but there are always times when one isn't armed. I decided I'd rather be able to fight without weapons at all then to depend on them needlessly." Meiling concentrated on the shift of his legs, the subtle changes in his skin, and suddenly, she was dodging his attacks.  
  
They were both pretty evenly matched, Meiling's speed making up for her weaker blows, and soon they were both panting from light exertion. "You're very good Meiling," Ken said. "But I've been holding back, and there won't be any more of that now." Meiling laughed. "Then I shall do the same." Their blows sped up until they were two human shaped blurs, one light green, the other a deep red, until Ken had cornered Meiling at the edge of the circle, he lunged, thinking to force her out of the circle without hurting her. Meiling grinned and used his shoulders to vault over him, using his momentum to knock him out of the ring. Just as she turned back to smile at him triumphantly, and hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, and the two of them landed in a tangle of arms and legs on the ground.  
  
Meiling sat up, surprised that she wasn't hurt. Then she realized just exactly what she was sitting on. "KEN!!! I'm so sorry!! I didn't realize I was sitting on you!" She kept apologizing profusely, but Ken just laughed. "I probably shouldn't have pulled you down with me," he said. She hurriedly scooted off him, blushing embarrassedly. He sat up and winced, the air having been knocked out of him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," he reassured her. It was almost amusing how he felt the urge to reassure this girl.  
  
Meiling sighed. Guys usually never said anything when they got hurt. Hiding her aura, she laid a bit of healing on him, making him feel as good as new. Anyone without magic wouldn't have known the healing. She knew she was being careless, but it was partly her fault for this happening, totally her fault if you counted the whole thing as her suggestion, but she really couldn't help feeling bad.  
  
"Meiling," the word wasn't a question, it was a command. _More like a demand for answers,_ Meiling thought, an uncomfortable chill going down her back. Tomoyo-chan was not going to be happy about this... "Meiling, that was magic." It wasn't an accusation, it was a bold statement, and yet, there was something funny about it. Ken didn't sound the least bit afraid of it, which was how other people usually reacted. At least, that's what Mizuki-sensei had said.  
  
"Meiling," she turned to face him. "I..." She paused, not quite knowing what to say, when a hand tapped her shoulder, and she looked up. "It's ok, I know." Light beamed from the chain and pendant he had been wearing around his neck, and an olive green Guardian came out. She stared at him in shock. "You...you......how?" She could hardly get the words out of her mouth she was so stunned. Ken laughed. "It looks like we both have some explaining to do."

* * *

Chiharu and Yamazaki 

She realized that Yamazaki wasn't the most talkative of people, but whenever she mentioned something trivial, it always seemed to make him go off on one of the stories. This had been his third or fourth one so far, she'd lost count after listening to the first two, and she didn't think it was going to stop anytime soon. Finally she couldn't stand it any more. "STOP!!" she cried, throttling him gently like she did to her older brothers. "You'd think the sky was green and the stars would come out as butterflies during the day!" she declared. The infuriating prince was still grinning, even though her hands were around his neck.  
  
"You know," he said, one finger tapping her nose gently, "The whole thing about the sky turning green,"  
  
"ARGH!!" Chiharu cried. "Listen Prince Yamazaki, I didn't come here to listen to your stories non-stop. Even Naoko-chan isn't like that! At least she knows when to stop those creative tales and facts that seem real but aren't." She sighed. "Never mind. I'm sorry I yelled at you."  
  
Yamazaki just grinned at her. "Do you ever open your eyes?" she blurted out, and gasped. "I'm sorry, that was rude of..." She was cut off by the light finger on her lips and the 'me' that she had been about to say never got past her throat.  
  
She stared deeply into two pools of deep blue-gray, almost like a storm cloud. "I do open my eyes," Yamazaki whispered softly, the words barely reaching her ears. Chiharu blushed, suddenly noticing their proximity. She didn't quite understand how he could have gotten into her personal space so quickly, except that her hands were still around his throat. "Mihara-san, there is something important that I need to tell you, but not here." Chiharu nodded slightly, her hands loosening their grasp on Yamazaki's throat. "Follow me."  
  
This part of their walk to her chambers was completely different from their walk up until now, and it gave Chiharu silence to think. _He opened his eyes, and he's different now. He changed personalities so quickly, it's almost like they aren't the same person. Maybe it runs in the family? I wonder if it means anything, his opening his eyes._ _And..._ she blushed, _they really were very nice eyes._ She glanced at his back curiously. He was walking just a bit ahead of her, leading the way, as silent as Tomoyo could be when she wanted to. There was something in the set of his shoulders that worried her, because he seemed suddenly very closed, blocking her out just as he had been so open a few moments ago. _I shouldn't have shouted at him...it was rude and I must have sounded so mean. I wonder if he'll forgive me. I hope..._ She bumped into Yamazaki with a soft "ow".  
  
He turned around, his eyes soft. Taking her hand, he led her into her rooms, directly to the bedroom. Chiharu blushed bright red. It was, after all, her bedroom for the next month, and here she was, sitting on her bed with a prince beside her. "Mihara-san, before I tell you this, I have to ask for your secrecy." She looked up at Yamazaki, his eyes still open and nodded. "But most of all, I have to ask for your belief." Yamazaki looked solemnly into her chocolate colored eyes, and smiled as she nodded. "Alright, I and my four brothers have been attacked by dark magic for a few months now. Some of it is dark magic anyway; the rest is un-magic. We've tried tracing it, but at one point, it disappears. We can't understand it. That's why we practice martial arts and magic so much these days. Of course, you can't know that, but we have. My brothers and I are mages. Surprised?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.  
  
Chiharu shook her head. "I'm a mage too," she whispered softly, avoiding his eyes and fiddling with the fabric of her dress that lay across her knees. "Tomoyo-chan, Sakura-chan, Meiling-chan, even my friends at home, Rika-chan and Naoko-chan who helped make your gift. They're all mages." She let Teiron out, and he perched on one of her shoulders.  
  
Yamazaki smiled, letting his dark eyes close. "I guess that means that we don't have to worry about any of your retinue running off, does it Mihara- san?"  
  
Chiharu shook her head, eyes dancing. "Chiharu, please Prince Yamazaki. Have you thought of what to do about these attacks?" she asked.  
  
Yamazaki nodded. "Yes, we have Chiharu. And please call me Yamazaki," he answered with a smile. Their talk drifted to the subject of strategies.

Hi! Thank you all my kind reviewers! Please check out my profile page, there's a notice about this fic. Oh, and...Review? Please?

Cobalt Rose


	3. Consequences of Unshielded Magic

A Month in the Courts of Li

By: Cobalt Rose

Alright my dear reviewers, I've decided to just keep the story up. Somehow it's a lot more popular that I thought it'd be. Anyway, the third chapter is now up, and the fourth chapter almost complete. I'll try my best (around my tutors and things) to get this story up as fast as possible.  
  
Consequences of Unshielded Magic

* * *

Tomoyo sat at the edge of her bed, enjoying the light birdsong that drifted through the open window beside her. The morning breeze ruffled her hair and she silently drank in the sight of emerald green leaves and sparkling drops of dew. She got up off the bed and drifted silently towards the open window, finally resting on the window seat below it. Selene floated to her and settled on her usual perch, Tomoyo's shoulder. Neither of them spoke a word; there was no need. Even morning in a foreign country was lovely on a day like this. You could almost believe that the morning was perfect.  
  
Unfortunately, the morning peace was shattered was broken by a sharp rap on her door. "Come in," she called dreamily, even her voice soft and velvety, almost afraid to break the beautiful stillness around her. The doorknob turned and the door pushed open hesitantly. Selene hid in the waves of her hair, wary of people who might not know of their magic, but there had been no need to worry. It was Eriol. Tomoyo, still curled up on the window seat, chin on the palm of one hand, elbow on the sill, half turned to face him. Her hair blew lightly in the breeze and Selene fluttered lightly from her hiding place behind Tomoyo's ear.  
  
Eriol caught his breath at the beautiful angel sitting by the window. Her hair, falling in dark, rich waves, fluttered lightly in the morning breeze. Her skin seemed to glow in the light of the sun, and was as pale as new milk in the clear, dawn light. Her eyes, normally polite and secretive of her feelings, were soft and clear, dancing with calm happiness. In her pale white nightdress, the glow of the sun washing over her from behind, she looked like an amethyst-eyed dream, a small smile playing on her soft lips.  
  
"Yes Eriol-kun?" Her question broke him from his reverie. He smiled a warm smile at her, receiving one back, as he spoke what had brought him here to her chambers in the early morning before breakfast. "Tomoyo-san, King Li requests an audience with you and your companions in an hour and a half. Father thought you might wish to bathe first and sent me to wake you."  
  
Tomoyo nodded in understanding. "I will awake my friends. When must we be at the great hall by?" she questioned.  
  
"As I and my brothers must also attend this audience, could I request that you and your friends meet us by the lesser reception hall to the left of imperial chambers? It is at the far end of this corridor, to the left of where you presented your gifts to me and my brothers," Eriol replied. Receiving Tomoyo's nod of agreement, he turned. _I wish I had heard more of her voice. This morning, she seems so different. Maybe it is because I have caught her now. It is almost as if she was unguarded in the early morning, when the light is the cleanest,_ he mused quietly in his mind.  
  
"Eriol-kun, I..." she paused, almost unsure whether or not to continue. "I look forward to seeing you." With his back turned, Eriol did not see the light blush that touched upon her cheeks. "As do I, princess," he replied softly before leaving the room. The door closed behind him with a soft click, but instead of leaving towards the rooms of his brothers, he leaned back against the door with a sigh.  
  
Inside, Tomoyo berated herself for her words. _What possessed me to say such things?_ She asked herself, a troubled look on her face. She reached a hand up to her right shoulder and Selene padded gently onto it. "Don't look so troubled Tomoyo," she encouraged. "You always act differently in the mornings. It's because you let your guard down." Selene floated down to the pendant hanging around Tomoyo's slim throat on a gold chain. With a comforting smile, she sank into it accompanied by a fine mist of soft amethyst light.  
  
Eriol's sharp ears caught the exchange, though one-sided, as Selene had done all the talking, and suppressed the curious urge to grin triumphantly. It was odd; he wasn't prone to grinning, even in triumph. _Spinel, lend me some of your powers?_ In the Guardian world, Spinel grinned. _Why Eriol- sama? You have an abundance of your own, do you not?_ Eriol sighed uncomfortably. He knew he would be asked this if he wanted to borrow Spinel's power at the moment. _I...alright, I want to eavesdrop on Tomoyo- san. Are you satisfied?_ Spinel nodded in a self-satisfied manner. _Immensely Eriol-sama_, he replied before giving Eriol the power he wanted to borrow.  
  
Now, with his ears sharper than before, he caught even the subtle swish of Tomoyo's nightdress as she walked about the room. There was a distinct rustle of silk as Tomoyo shed her gown, more soft rustles as it was folded, and two, soft, definite steps as she discarded her undergarments. Both gown and undergarments settled on the bed with a soft thump, and there were more clear steps as Tomoyo crossed the marble floors to the bathroom. Soon, a sound, the loud rushing of water from a tap, filled the air. After a while, the water stopped running. There were a few smooth splashes as Tomoyo stepped into the tub, but when a soft sigh of pleasure from the vicinity of the bathroom reached his ears, Eriol pulled away from the door with a groan.  
  
"Take your power back, Spinel," he commanded. In his mind, he heard a chuckle. _Yes, I realize perfectly well that my voice dropped an octave, and yes, I'm also glad that Tomoyo-san doesn't know that I've been listening. I hope never to embarrass myself like this in front of her,_ he answered Spinel's unasked question. At this, Spinel laughed outright and Eriol sighed. Hurrying away from the door and the sounds of Tomoyo's bath, he reached the doors to her chambers almost at a run. He ran a hand over his eyes with another groan. It was hard to believe his own actions. He collected himself before leaving her rooms, and then headed off in the directions of the rooms of his brothers.  
  
It was a few minutes walk to Yamazaki's chambers, but that was all the time needed for his voice to return to normal. Knocking lightly, he entered. He made his way to Yamazaki's bedchamber, only to find him gone. Puzzled, for Yamazaki did not usually wake so early, he wandered to the parlor to find Yamazaki reading at a table with a cup of tea half to his lips.  
  
"Well Yamazaki-kun, I haven't seen you up this early since last Christmas," he said with a laugh. "What in the world woke you up at this hour?"  
  
"Laugh all you wish Eriol-kun, but this book is one of the most interesting things I've ever read. I really must do something for Chiharu for getting something this good for me," he replied, not even looking up.  
  
"That's great, but you'll have to stop reading for a bit. Father wants to hold an audience with us and the ladies who arrived yesterday; we're meeting them in the lesser reception hall, and if you could, maybe head over towards Syaoran-kun's rooms when you're done because he's not easy to wake alone? And while you're getting ready, why don't you make yourself some more tea? I think the cup in your hands is now stone cold," Eriol remarked.  
  
Yamazaki looked up from the book to his cup of tea, sipped, and made a face. "Right again Eriol-kun. When did Father want us by?"  
  
Eriol glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. "We're needed by 8 o' clock, and you have almost an hour and 15 minutes until then. I'll go wake the others." With another smile at his twin brother, he left.  
  
When he reached the doors to Syaoran's and Ken's rooms, he debated who to wake first, then decided on Ken. Syaoran had the tendency to be cranky in the morning, and he might need someone to help him. Ken was unusually easy to wake. He hadn't taken five steps into the bedchamber when Ken leapt out of his bed, sword in hand. After calming his brother down and insisting there was no threat, especially not one dressed in red and white silk, he left for a while to let his brother wash and dress. In a little while, they were both facing the door to Syaoran's bedroom.  
  
"I'll wake him, and you grab his arms when they come up to hit us ok?" Eriol said.  
  
Ken nodded determinedly. "If he starts kicking around, you'll be the one to grab his legs right?" He paused a moment. "Do you think he's like this because he doesn't like us waking him up? I mean, Mother doesn't need to do this when she goes to wake him up."  
  
Eriol shook his head. "I think that when Syaoran-kun hears Mother's voice, he gets up like a normal person because he knows Mother would be able to knock him flat if he even tried to fight whoever was waking him, even on instinct." They both laughed for a bit before getting back to the business at hand. "Ok Ken, let's go."  
  
They crept quietly to Syaoran's bedside, one on each side of the large bed. Syaoran's messy brown hair could be seen from under his blankets, nothing else. With a simultaneous nod, they both shouted, "WAKE UP!" at the top of their lungs. Instantly, a fist flew out from the sheets, only to be caught in Ken's waiting hands. Another one flew out right after, to be met with the same fate. A foot, tangled in sheets and blankets, flailed about until it got harder and harder to kick out. Eriol was holding down the bulk of the sheets that kept Syaoran from kicking either himself or Ken.  
  
"Get up Syaoran-kun!" called Eriol in his most bright-and-chipper voice.  
  
"Ugh Eriol! Go away! WHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM?!" he shouted at Ken. "Traitor," he muttered. "Alright, alright, I'm going to get up, but by the time I'm at the bathroom door, I'd better not see either of you in my room. And why am I up at this hour?"  
  
"Father wants to see us by eight this morning in the greater reception hall. And not just us. He wants to see the girls from the Kinomoto kingdom as well. We're meeting them at the lesser reception hall," replied Eriol smartly. Syaoran froze for an instant at the mention of the girls as an image of Sakura passed before his eyes. "I saw that little brother," called Eriol from behind him. Syaoran's ears flamed red before he growled, walking into his bathroom and closing the door. Eriol laughed and motioned Ken and himself out the other door.  
  
Meeting Yamazaki on their way out, they walked slowly towards the lesser reception hall, all three of them lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

Tomoyo sighed contentedly as she toweled her hair dry. The bath had been so refreshing. She wished that the morning could continue in such a calm and sedate manner, but she knew she had to dress and leave quickly if she wanted to give her friends time for them to take baths. Tomoyo opened her wardrobe clothed only in a bathrobe, wondering exactly what she should wear. Something formal, yet something not too formal. She stared at the rows of clothing wondering what she'd been thinking when she packed this many clothes. She also noted a great deal of them were either fighting clothes or comfort clothes that were a bit too casual for a royal audience. After a while, she chose a long dress with straps that widened as they reached the shoulders and thinned as they reached the torso, and almost slipped off the shoulders, though not quite. It was a touch low but acceptable, and the skirt of the dress was long and floaty, just the way she liked it. There was also a thin, gossamer silk dress that lay over the dress and covered over the straps as well. It was translucent and gave the whole dress an ethereal sort of touch.  
  
Dressing, Tomoyo laid a light hand on the pendant that hung just under her collarbones. She looked around at her rooms. They were as clean as could be so she left without worrying, and hurried off towards Sakura's rooms. They knew where each other's rooms were from the tour they had received after dinner, and Tomoyo knew her memory was never faulty. She walked down the corridor quickly, sandals tapping lightly on the marble floors. When she reached Sakura's rooms she made her way unerringly to the bedchamber. Sakura was curled up amid the sheets like a little child. She loved the way her younger sister looked so defenseless in sleep. Shaking the younger girl softly, she tried waking her. A few years ago Sakura would have groaned and told her to go away, but now, she woke easily with a small smile.  
  
"What's up Tomoyo-chan?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"The king wants to meet us in the greater reception hall, but Eriol-kun wished to meet us in the lesser reception hall first," Tomoyo replied.  
  
"Alright then, when do we have to be there by?" Sakura questioned.  
  
"I think that the audience is at eight, so we should be at the lesser reception hall at least fifteen minutes before then, Sakura-chan," she murmured, almost to herself.  
  
Sakura nodded and headed off to the bathroom. "Tomoyo-chan? Are you going to be waking the others?" she asked curiously.  
  
Tomoyo nodded, halfway to the door. "Meet me in Chiharu-chan's rooms? I'll tell Meiling-chan the same."  
  
"Sure thing Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said happily with a wink and a grin. Tomoyo just laughed as she left to wake Meiling and Chiharu.  
  
Meiling wasn't easy to wake because she normally disliked being woken early. Tomoyo looked around before warding the place. This was going to take a bit of magic. _Meiling-chan? Hi, Mei-mei, it's Tomoyo-chan. You have to wake up because the king wants an audience with us._ Dream-Tomoyo smiled at Dream-Meiling, who was currently lazing in a swimming pool under a moonlit sky. _Ne Tomoyo-chan? Does that mean I have to leave my dream?_ She pouted cutely, hoping to persuade her cousin to let her sleep in a bit. _You will if you want to take a bath before the audience_, retorted Dream- Tomoyo. _And Meiling-chan? Who's that over there? _Dream-Tomoyo pointed to a male figure in the shadows. Dream-Meiling blushed and stuttered, _Oh um...no one!_ And woke.  
  
She sighed, "Tomoyo-chan, couldn't you find another way to wake me up, instead of getting into my dream world?"  
  
"Of course I could Mei-chan, but that wouldn't be as much fun!" she replied. "Besides, the last time I tried to wake you normally, you almost hit me. I was pretty glad I'd been practicing quick reaction dodging!"  
  
"Tomoyo-chan! That was more than a year ago, when my oldest cousin Feimei got me drunk on eggnog! I had a raging headache!" she cried embarrassedly.  
  
"So _that's_ why you ended up asleep on my couch!" said Tomoyo, understanding dawning at last.  
  
Meiling nodded. "I'm going to take a shower and get changed ok? Where should I meet you?"  
  
"Go to Chiharu-chan's rooms ok? Sakura and I will be there too," Tomoyo answered.  
  
"Alright, Tomoyo-chan," Meiling said as Tomoyo left her rooms to wake Chiharu.  
  
Chiharu was sleeping, hair down instead of in its usual braids. "Chi-chan, Chi-chan, wake up," said Tomoyo softly. Chiharu didn't wake up. Suddenly, a devilish idea crept into Tomoyo's mind, and without letting herself think it over, she put her idea into action. "Chiharu, did you know that the penguins used to live in the Arctic, then, during the Ice Age, they moved all over the world so that the whole world took penguins as their..."  
  
"Shut up Yamazaki-kun!" cried Chiharu, waking up instantly. "And why are you in my rooms!?" she shrieked.  
  
"Ouch Chi-chan, not so loud," Tomoyo mock-chided her.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan?" Her cheeks colored. "Oh that was low," she muttered.  
  
"I can't help it that Yamazaki-kun's stories irritate you," she replied.  
  
"It's not that they irritate me, but more that people believe him! I've got to stop him before Sakura-chan starts thinking that the air is filled with fairies that eat out your eyeballs if you breathe the wrong way!" she cried.  
  
"You know, that wasn't one of his stories," Tomoyo mentioned.  
  
The look of shock on Chiharu's face was almost too much for her. "IT'S CONTAGIOUS!!! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" she screamed. "Wait a minute...IT WAS!" she cried again. "I remember because Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun almost suffocated themselves trying to hold their breaths so that they wouldn't harm the air fairies. TOMOYO-CHAN!"  
  
Tomoyo laughed, "You'd better get washed up and dressed because we have half an hour before we should be at the lesser reception hall. The king wants to hold an audience with us and the princes," she said, forestalling Chiharu's words.  
  
Chiharu calmed down and nodded. She waved to Tomoyo as she walked off to the bathroom, but at the door she paused. "Oh, and if you do that again Tomoyo-chan, I'll make sure I seal away the garden and orchard from you for a week! You know how lovely the garden and orchard here is. Wouldn't that be terrible?"  
  
Tomoyo mock-glared at her friend's retreating back. "I'm hurt Chiharu- chan. You would put such torture on me?"  
  
Chiharu just grinned and closed her bathroom door.

* * *

It was much later when they met up in Chiharu's rooms and made their way as a group to the lesser reception hall. Maids and servants passed them, bowing or curtseying before them. Even _they_ marveled at the polite kindness that the girls bestowed on everyone they met.  
  
Ken looked up from the scroll he was reading. "Meiling's coming this way," he murmured.  
  
"What?" asked Syaoran. "How can you tell?"  
  
"She did a bit of healing on my yesterday so now I can read her aura," he replied in a careless way.  
  
From down the hall they could hear girlish laughter that sounded clear and sweet, and they all unconsciously straightened out their appearances. Eriol polished his glasses again. Yamazaki ran a hand through his hair, slightly irritated at the fact that it was never really neat like Eriol's. Syaoran nervously fiddled with the hilt of his sword, almost cutting himself. Ken hurriedly shrunk the scroll and placed it in his pocket. And not a moment too soon, because the door opened to admit the four girls into the chamber.  
  
Each prince was wearing the formal prince clothes that they did when they were on prince duties, each outfit in a different color. Eriol wore a blue that could only be described as navy-cobalt, Yamazaki, a deep ebony that shone silver in the right sort of light, Syaoran a deep emerald green, and Ken a bright ruby red. Each wore a golden sash from shoulder to hip, and all except Ken had a sword belt around their waist, a sword on their left side. The jackets were long sleeved, reached down to mid thigh, and was split in the front. All the edges had gold edgings, the cuffs of the jackets were white, and each prince wore a pair of white gloves. Their pants were all an identical shade of white with a gold stripe at the ankle cuffs. Each set of clothes bore no difference from any of the others except for two things, color and the clasp that held the high collar closed around the neck of each boy.  
  
Tomoyo felt just a bit embarrassed. As they weren't all family, they didn't have very many similar sets of clothing, except for their battle outfits, that Tomoyo herself had sewn. Other than that, she and Sakura had a few sets of clothing that were alike, but nothing quite so coordinated as the clothes that the princes wore. Then again, she and Sakura had different tastes in clothing, and Meiling and Chiharu didn't often want to trouble her with clothes making. She decided that she'd make matching formal clothes for them as soon as she got the chance.  
  
Meiling grinned almost imperceptibly at the four boys. Each one looked casual, nonchalant, and very princely. They were all resting at the foot of the raised dais, watching the four girls as they entered. Her eyes rested briefly on Eriol, who was leaning to the left of the dais stairs, then traveled on to Syaoran who sat to Eriol's left on one of the higher steps of the dais stairs. Yamazaki sat on the bottom step of the stairs, one leg casually stretched out in front of him, but her eyes finally came to a rest on Ken, whose right elbow rested to the right of the dais stairs, head propped up on one hand, the other resting lightly on his hip. Altogether they made a fetching picture.  
  
There was a certain smile that ran along the lips of each prince, a soft, subtle, and almost seductive smile. Chiharu could have almost sworn that Yamazaki had his eyes open, but at second glance she decided she must have been mistaken. His eyes were closed, though the smile was still there. She shrugged it off as tiredness; she had been awake a great deal of the night pondering why the princes' magic disappeared every time it reached a certain point.  
  
Eriol's eyes focused on Tomoyo as he pushed off the side of the dais that he'd been leaning on. She looked like a fairy in her dress, all pale and ethereal; her ebony-violet locks a stark contrast. He bowed to her and extended a hand, knowing that his brothers were close behind him. "Tomoyo- san, allow me to lead you to the audience with my father," he all but whispered to her ears. Tomoyo nodded regally, though her heart beat increased rapidly. She composed herself quickly, but couldn't help one thought that crossed her mind. _Was his voice always so dark and rich and soft? And was it always that low? It seemed an octave lower than before...  
_  
Each prince led one of the girls out to the audience, and it was thus that they entered before the King, who was much amused by the procession. The princes all bowed and the girls all curtsied before him before Eriol stepped forward. "Father, we are here," was his simple announcement.  
  
King Li smiled down at his sons and the ladies from the Kinomoto kingdom. Then, his smile faded to a look of concern. With an imperious movement with his hands he sent everyone except the Queen out of the chamber. Another nod had the doors locked and sealed. Eriol and his brothers sealed the room so that no one could enter and anyone trying to listen from the outside would not hear a thing. Neither the King nor the Queen blinked an eye, or the "coven" either, because of the meeting the girls had had the last evening. King Li nodded at the girls. "I see that you have been told of their magic, and most likely of the happenings that have occurred for the past few weeks. That was part of the reason why I wished your presence this morning."  
  
Yamazaki smiled at their father. "They are mages too, and have pledged their assistance in this endeavor. I am pretty sure that they can protect themselves, so you have much less to worry about, Father," he said.  
  
The king nodded warmly. "It is good to know that we will be receiving good help. I did not wish to bring your kingdom into this, but I cannot deny an ally when they pledge their assistance, even if the pledge is from the Crown Princess and her royal retinue. Especially if the pledge is from the Crown Princess and her royal retinue," he said with a laugh in his voice. "Come up my princes and princesses, for there is much need for discussing this threat on this kingdom." He motioned to the youths and maidens at the foot of the dais. In a sudden flurry of wings, all different colors of the rainbow, the eight young people flew up to the dais.  
  
A long table was set up behind the thrones and had ten seats to it. The king took his seat at the head of the table, the queen to his right. Each prince escorted his lady to the seat next to him, and soon they were all seated. The king sighed as they all sat down. "Eriol, you will have to explain to them how this all started," he said.  
  
Eriol nodded and began. "The first incident happened a few weeks ago. Ken spotted a section of the outer lawn that looked as though it had been burned. We thought it was nothing back then, but a few days later, a similar spot appeared. Syaoran suggested that we keep watch, so we each took a post from one of the four points of the castle keep. Unfortunately, we didn't see anyone. We kept watch like that for four days before the incident was repeated. We hadn't managed to see who had done it, so Yamazaki and I placed a ward over the whole castle. It didn't matter."  
  
For the first time, Tomoyo saw a look of frustration cross Eriol's normally calm features. She could understand his irritation and anger at the feeling of helplessness in the face of such an adversary. Laying cool fingers on his arm, she sent him feelings of serenity with her magic to calm his hidden unhappiness. She saw the swift flicker as his eyes trained on her for less than a second, and a feeling of thanks and gratitude, Eriol's returning magic, curled around her. None but Sakura caught the small smile that crossed Tomoyo's lips.  
  
"We realized that something stronger than what we had come up with was against us. I sent a magic tracer out, but after a certain point, it disappeared, and never returned. I waited for more than a week. Magic tracers can travel to the end of the Earth and back in that time. It didn't return. That was when we realized we were up against un-magic. There isn't much a mage can do about un-magic. Our only saving grace is that if we all put up the shielding ward, the un-magic didn't eat away at our wards so quickly. In fact, it took a long time to go through the four strong layers of magic that we put up. When it did manage to penetrate, it could only send bolts of black lightning. That's what's been keeping us safe for the past three weeks, until yesterday, that is. It seems that this un-magic is attracted to working magic, and so whenever any of us does any magic, it feeds upon that and gets stronger. Syaoran thinks that's why the lightning was able to attack Sakura and himself in the garden." Eriol stopped, his feelings getting the better of him. He wasn't the only one. Syaoran and Ken had identical expressions of angry discomfort, and slivers of blue-gray could be seen from under Yamazaki's dark lashes. "Now that there are more of us, we need to think of a plan fast before things get out of hand."  
  
Tomoyo nodded. "First things first, I think we should strengthen the shielding ward around the castle. The last thing any of us needs is to have one of us hurt because the shielding ward lost strength. We can all lend our strength, and any time one of us has a spare moment, we could go over it and patch up any weak points. But at any rate, because this is the first time half of us are seeing it, we should probably go over it very thoroughly and make sure it's as secure as possible."  
  
"I checked some of it last night," Chiharu mentioned, "and I think instead of putting the ward up normally, we should do something to make it stronger. Not just putting one layer on top of another, but integrating the different magical layers _into_ one another so that it's one ward, but just as strong, if not stronger than eight different wards on top of one another. It would take less magical space too," she added, almost as an after thought.  
  
"What are we waiting for then?" asked Meiling. "Let's get started!" With a nod, all of their auras flared as they rose into the air to examine the shielding ward.  
  
In the greater reception hall, the king and queen sat by the eight silent bodies, magical auras pouring off of them, their magical selves in the air with the ward. The queen laid a hand on her husband's arm in a reassuring way. "With more help, we can solve this mystery faster. We're getting somewhere already. The boys wouldn't have had the strength alone to check over and renew the ward every few weeks." The king sighed heavily. "I just hope they all come out of this alright."

* * *

Up in the Air 

Tomoyo flew over the palace garden, noting the portion that had been patched up by Sakura. Taking a moment to look around, she noticed only four auras besides her own. There was Sakura's pink one, Meiling's red one, Chiharu's light blue one, and Eriol's deep cobalt and cerulean one. Then it hit her. She couldn't see the auras of the others because she hadn't been able to feel the magic of the others. She called through her connection with Sakura and Eriol to call all the others and soon they were all grouped around a large, ornamental, apple tree at the center of the garden. Taking a cord of her magic, she gave it to Sakura, who weaved in a strand of her own magic. Meiling and Chiharu added their own magic, then passed the cord on to Eriol. As his magic entered the main cord, Tomoyo's magic-self tingled oddly, as if from a deep magical connection. As her magic cord was passed around, Syaoran, Yamazaki, and finally Ken, became visible to her eyes. She grounded the magical cord into their souls, and created a connection between all eight of them.  
  
_That was very smart thinking Tomoyo-san,_ came Eriol's mind voice. _Now we won't have problems of going over some places too many times because we can't see that someone else has gone over it.  
_  
Tomoyo nodded and they all few off again, eager to start their magic. First, the princes took down their ward. Then, simultaneously, eight layers of shielding appeared, and little by little, they merged, shimmering, into one shielding ward that glimmered like a soap bubble. _Alright, that's good_, thought-spoke Sakura to the others. _Let's go over it to make sure there are no weak spots. If there are, we can use our magic to patch it up._ Through their connection, she felt the others nod. They flew off again, but no one found any weak points in their ward. The strength of the ward was nice and even over the castle. It was then that Ken struck upon a brilliant idea. _Eriol! Everyone! I have an idea. Let's put up an illusion. Not one that the castle is un-warded, but that its wards aren't up very strongly. We can make the illusion that some parts are weak, then on the ward underneath, we can put extra strength up, as well as an identity spell to tell who the culprit is!_ Eight bright sparks nodded, and they slowly pushed through the ward. Because of the small spell that Tomoyo had weaved, they each held a small part of everyone else's magic, and the ward let them through. Once outside the ward, they started weaving the illusion of a weakened ward.  
  
Pain and black fire streaked through Chiharu and a thought-scream rent the minds of the others. Each felt a shadow of the same pain burst through their magic selves. _Chiharu! _cried Yamazaki. In a flash of stormy blue- gray, he disappeared through the ward. _Everyone! We have to go back down into the ward!_ cried Syaoran. They struggled through the thick ward towards the castle.

* * *

Greater Reception Hall 

With a gasp of pain, Chiharu woke back in her own body. She had enough time to see the worried faces of the king and queen before she fainted.  
  
Yamazaki was the first to return to his body. Queen Yelan pointed to a mattress and blanket that had appeared behind the table. Nodding grimly, Yamazaki lain the unconscious girl on it and covered her warmly. "How did this appear Mother?" he asked, eyes not leaving Chiharu's pain filled face. "You were gone so long that your father and I decided to conjure up a mattress and blanket, just in case," she replied. King Li smiled in a similarly grim way that Yamazaki did. "You mean, you conjured up the mattress and blanket," he said to his wife. "I cannot do a single piece of magic, which is why I am teaching the boys how to fight." Queen Yelan nodded with almost a smile.  
  
One by one, in quick succession, the young mages returned to their real bodies. "Chiharu-chan!" cried Meiling, and almost as one, the girls rushed to the mattress side. "We should have thought to ward ourselves as we worked," sobbed Sakura unhappily. Syaoran put a comforting hand on her shoulder. With another sob, Sakura flung herself into his arms, crying. Syaoran blushed embarrassedly, but patted her back until her sobs quieted somewhat. Eriol placed a hand on Chiharu's forehead then snatched it back, as if burned. "Something is wrong. She isn't unconscious from the pain; she's unconscious because of the spell that hit her. I think it has her suspended in a state much like the un-dead, except right now, she's un- alive." Tomoyo put a hand on her cousin's forehead and nodded, wincing in pain as she kept her hand there. "We need to get her to her rooms first," she stated, "but if none of us can carry her because of the spell, how can we get her there?"  
  
Even before she had finished talking, Yamazaki had taken Chiharu into his arms and with just a wince, had flown down to the doors, dissolved Eriol's ward, and walked out. The others followed, half running down the stairs. Ken, the last one out of the door, bowed to his parents as an apology for their behavior. The king and queen just nodded, and with a strained smile, he closed the doors behind him.  
  
_Sakura, Meiling, let's go to Chiharu's rooms and make it more comfortable for her,_ Tomoyo suggested. The other two nodded so, projecting an image to the boys at what they were going to do, they left. Meiling used her magic to warm the bed so that Chiharu would be comfortable. Sakura, tears dry now, put up another ward around the room so that any magic they were going to use, wasn't going to leak out an attract too much attention from the un- magic user. Tomoyo picked out Chiharu's favorite nightdress, the white one with pink ribbon around the waist and little pink shoulder bows on the frilled shoulder straps. Meeting Yamazaki, she swiftly used a bit of magic to change the dress on Chiharu with the nightgown in her arms.  
  
Yamazaki lay the unconscious Chiharu down on her bed, still holding one of her hands. The others were silent for a moment, knowing this wasn't the time to be talking. Then, Yamazaki looked up, eyes open, blue fire within their depths. "I'm going to go into her mind and undo the spell," he stated quietly. Protests rose to their lips, but Eriol nodded and the others were silent. Yamazaki closed his eyes and let his aura mingle with Chiharu's, sinking into her mind. Sakura left to get cool cloths for Chiharu's forehead, while Meiling stroked the unconscious girl's cheek. Tomoyo laid a hand on Yamazaki's forehead and shook her head. "His magic was drained somewhat from the walk here, and I'm not sure it'll be enough. There might be un-magic in the spell, which would explain why it hurt when any of us tried to touch her."  
  
Syaoran glared ferociously at his older brother sitting on a chair by Chiharu's bed, her small, delicate hand held in his own. Opening up their connection, he fed some of his magical power into Yamazaki. Eriol nodded, Ken and himself doing the same. Sakura returned with the cool cloth in her hands. She put it on Chiharu's forehead, the worried expression not gone from her face. Tomoyo, Sakura, and Meiling, then turned their attention onto Yamazaki, putting their magic into him as well, until Eriol cut them off. "Keep your magic in reserve," he requested kindly. "We don't know how much magic Yamazaki is going to need, but if ours isn't enough, we'll need yours. If our magic alone is enough, we still need you all to be in full strength in case something else comes up."  
  
Tomoyo nodded unhappily, and the six remaining people sat on the large, circular, couch-like piece of furniture that Meiling had conjured up, waiting and hoping that the two unconscious ones would be ok.

* * *

Chiharu's Mind 

Yamazaki looked all around him, trying to get his bearings. It was dark and clouded with mist and fog in Chiharu's mind. He knew somewhere in here, her magical self was caught._ Chiharu!_ he called, but the dark fog swallowed up his cry. He looked around, using his own magic to force back the fog, and realized that he was standing at the beginning of a large maze. He turned around. In the darkness leading back to the real world he saw a shimmering cord that led into his own magic center. It was the spell that Tomoyo had woven to keep the eight of them together. Some threads of it shone brighter than others, and he realized his brothers were feeding their own magic into him. Before him, there was another such cord before him, only thinner and weaker than the one that led to him. _Chiharu is at the end of that cord, _was all he thought before setting of determinedly.  
  
It wasn't long before the fog and mist became colder and colder, chilling him. Tantalizing hints of warmth lured him off the path, but a tug from the end of the cord behind him stopped him. _Yamazaki-kun,_ came Eriol's voice, thin and hushed, diluted by the magical fog around him. _You're there to save Chiharu._ Yamazaki nodded and went on in the direction indicated by the cord before him. As he walked forward, the weaker cord absorbed through him. Finally, turning a corner, he came upon the center of the maze. In the darkness, it was a sanctuary of light. A large, beautiful apple tree, much like the one in the palace gardens was at the center. It was surrounded by a circle of the greenest grass that Yamazaki had ever seen, but even as he walked forward, the edge of the grass began to shrink, swallowed up by the darkness. Running to keep ahead of the darkness, he reached the tree.  
  
On the trunk of the tree, Yamazaki noticed, a poem was carved in flowing script.  
  
_A circle to protect the ones I love,  
A spell to seal the past,  
A prayer towards the skies above,  
A hope for those that come at last.  
_  
With a finger, he traced the letters, and golden fire filled the carvings. A burst of bright magic made him shield his eyes, and a Guardian, light blue and with wings, Teiron, appeared from the words. In another bright flash, the little Guardian changed into a sky blue phoenix, long tail trailing to the ground. _Prince, up in the tree._ Teiron motioned and Yamazaki looked up. At the very heart of the branches, there was a small alcove of branches that shone with magic. They curled around Chiharu's small form, keeping her safe as birds of darkness and evil attacked the shielding branches. In seconds, Yamazaki had flown up to the alcove, sword in hand. It took a short battle, but the dark magic disappeared. Undoing the branches that curled so protectively around the girl, he pulled her out.  
  
Teiron flew to her shoulders, and together, the three of them began the descent down. Another burst of dark magic shot out at Chiharu, but weak as she was, she had no time to escape. Pushing her out of the way Yamazaki felt as though he was being burned alive as tongues of dark fire licked at his magical body. _NO! Yamazaki-kun!_ came Chiharu's cry.

* * *

Chiharu's Bedchamber 

"Yamazaki-kun!" The girls instantly realized something was wrong. Eriol began feeding more of his magic into the connection. His twin brother's life was on the line, and he'd be the last one to sit around and let it happen. Syaoran and Ken began to do the same, pouring more and more of their magic into the connection, but it was obvious that it wasn't enough.  
  
"Stop!" cried a distressed Tomoyo. "At this rate, you'll all die!"  
  
"We can't just leave our brother to die though," said a rapidly weakening Syaoran.  
  
Tomoyo shook her head. "I know," she replied, and added her own strength into the magical connection. Sakura and Meiling followed suit. _You can't leave your brother to die, but we can't let you all feed too much strength into the connection, _Meiling retorted, cutting them off. It wasn't a moment too soon either. Any longer and the princes would have put too much of their magic into the connection, leaving them dead, or worse. Maintaining the connection, Sakura laid the three, weak and now unconscious princes out on the couch before turning her attention back to Yamazaki.

* * *

Chiharu's Mind 

White heat filled Yamazaki's magical being, healing him and keeping him alive at the same time. Magic, more than he had ever commanded before, flooded him and, in a burst of power, engulfed the darkness that lay over Chiharu's mind. In a brief moment, the whiteness cleared away all the dark and the confusing maze became sky and field. With all the extra magic exhausted, Yamazaki landed softly on the grass. Chiharu sat beside him and for a moment, the two rested before returning to the real world.

* * *

Chiharu's Bedchamber 

_Chiharu._ Someone was calling her. She rose between layers of white, cloud- like and misty. _Chiharu! _The call was louder, more insistent. She struggled to reply, but no sound issued from her throat. She followed the call, knowing that someone was calling her; someone who cared. Little by little, she sank into her own body, feeling somewhat stiff and in pain. _Chiharu, Chiharu, Chiharu!_ Just a little more! She could feel the voice so close now, and heard the anxious tone of the call. _Chiharu! Chiharu!_  
  
"Chiharu!"  
  
She opened her eyes. "Yamazaki-kun?" She turned her head. His fingers were curled around her own and his eyes were open and filled with concern.  
  
"Chiharu! Thank goodness you're alright!" he cried, relieved.  
  
She looked over to find the others unconscious. "What happened!" she cried, struggling into sitting position. Dizziness washed over her and she fell back onto the pillows.  
  
"The others poured their magic into me so that I could undo the spell. They're alright. They just need some rest. They've just put a lot of magic into one working. Don't worry Chiharu; they'll be okay by tomorrow morning with a lot of rest." He turned to her. "You should get some rest too," he said. "I'll get the servants to take them to their rooms." He turned back to the door with the intent to go, then stopped. "Chiharu, I...I'm really glad you're alright. For a moment there, I was afraid I'd lose you."  
  
There was no reply. Yamazaki turned, almost afraid to see the rejection that he thought would be in her eyes. She was asleep. Smiling kindly at her, he walked out to find the servants.

* * *

That's it for now, and thanks you all for your lovely reviews! And a few little hints about the next few chapters. Funny thing's afoot ne? Our brave heros and heroines decide to figure out just what's going on, while on a picnic of course! Research is all going well until King Li tells them something that's been happening right under their noses. A BALL?! MASQUERADE?! Stay tuned! For the next few chapters of A Month in the Courts of Li!!!

And please review!

Cobalt Rose


	4. Picnic of Serious Discussions

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I am SO sorry about not updating! I have been stuck in scholarly hell for the past...several months? But I've finally got this out with the fifth chapter in the making...so! Thanks especially to Elven Sword for saying which stories were favorable, I'll start them as soon as I get this one organized (I'll try not to overload myself with stuff...two stories working at the moment is quite a lot considering the time...)

MUCHAS GRACIAS to everyone! (i don't take spanish but hey, i can pretend...)

Cobalt Rose

A Month in the Courts of Li

Picnic of Serious Discussions

* * *

Sakura stretched as she got out of bed, feeling more rested than she had in days. Taking off her nightdress and undergarments, she went to the bathroom and filled the large tub with hot water. It was only after she had stepped into the tub and started washing herself with soap that she remembered the events of the morning before. "Chiharu-chan!" cried Sakura. She hurriedly stepped out of the bath, slipped on the smooth tiles made smoother by the water on them, and found herself sprawled over the cold tiles. "Mou, this is so embarrassing," she muttered to herself under her breath as she wrapped herself up in a towel. Drying and dressing in a light, simple, fashionable dress, she pulled on her sandals and hurried off to Chiharu's rooms. 

She burst into the rooms to find her older sister, Eriol, and Yamazaki already there. She felt the rapidly nearing aura of Meiling approach, and stepped out of the doorway just in time so that Meiling careened into the couch instead of into her back. Chiharu was sitting up in bed smiling and laughing at them, looking as though she hadn't been attacked by dark magic the day before. Tomoyo laughed with her brightly. Even Eriol smiled at them happily. Yamazaki was grinning like he always did all the time, eyes closed. "Incoming, Ken and Syaoran," he intoned. Sakura pulled Meiling out of the couch and they both walked to the bed so they could get a better view.

Just as expected, both boys were running head on, _almost as if they were racing, _Sakura mused to herself. They crashed through the open doors, almost getting stuck and landed in the couch, upturning it. They looked up at the sound of girlish laughter to find all four of the girls laughing at them. Sakura couldn't take it any more. She collapsed across Chiharu's legs, face red with laughter. Meiling, in her Chinese style dress and pants rolled around on the floor clutching her stomach. Tomoyo fell back into a chair next to Chiharu's bed, tears forming in her eyes from laughing so hard. Chiharu had already almost passed out from lack of air. Steam could practically be seen coming up from the two boys faces.

After a few minutes, everyone had calmed down enough for talk. Wiping tears from her lashes, Tomoyo got up from the chair she had been sitting in. Both younger Li brothers were now sitting sulkily on the couch they'd upturned, Meiling and Sakura sat on the bed with Chiharu. Yamazaki stood close by, never really far away from Chiharu's side. Eriol was polishing his glasses to Yamazaki's other side. "I have an idea," she announced. "Let's all go on a picnic! If we do too many strenuous things, like putting up the illusion that we tried to do yesterday, right after what happened yesterday, most likely, things won't turn out as well as we want them to. Besides, if the un-magic user is watching, going out for a picnic will show them we aren't afraid."

Eriol nodded his agreement. "Of course," he added, "that doesn't mean that we aren't going to put up a strong ward around ourselves when we go, and probably place a layer of tracer spells over it as well." He smiled. "Well then, let's get ready for our picnic, shall we?" It was decided that the girls would go to the kitchens and get some food, and the boys would saddle up the horses. Everyone split up to their rooms to get clothes and other things that they wanted to bring to the picnic.

After everyone had left her room, Chiharu got out of bed, stretching muscles that were stiff from spending a day in bed. _Picnic!_ Giggling, she undressed and stepped into her bathroom. She didn't have enough time to take a bath, but she could at least shower. Untying her braids, she took a quick shower, washing with her favorite scent, freesias. She dried her hair hurriedly, watching the clock on her mantelpiece, and tied her braids with two, dark, wine colored ribbons that wove through her braids. Dressing in an ankle length dress of the same color as her ribbons, she also put on a short-sleeved, form fitting blouse. Teiron fluttered to her shoulder and changed into a real live, albeit tiny replica of his larger form.

"Ne Teiron, do you think it wise to do that?" Chiharu asked her Guardian.

"I think its better this way," he replied. "After all, you can just say I'm a pet or something. It's more difficult to carry around a stuffed animal at the age of 16 than it is to have a bird as your pet."

Chiharu nodded as she put on her sandals. "Alright then Teiron! Let's go find the others!" She laughed as she went to find her friends.

* * *

Tomoyo 

She walked down the halls to her room, calmly planning things out in her mind. Then, making up her mind about something, she changed directions. Selene appeared out of her pendant and changed into a small black cat with amethyst eyes. "Tomoyo-chan, where are you going? Aren't you going to get ready?" she asked.

Tomoyo smiled at the cat on her shoulder. "I'll ask the cooks to prepare a picnic basket for us while we're getting ready, and then we can just pick it up." Arriving at the door to the kitchens, she knocked lightly.

"Yes!" cried an irritated voice as the door was shoved open. "Oh! I'm very sorry your highness," said a tall, brown haired man. "I thought you were Nakuru-san. Well do come in, and my name is Touya."

Tomoyo nodded at this. "Hello Touya-san, the Li princes and my friends were going to be going on a picnic today, and I was wondering if I could request a picnic basket from the kitchens."

Touya waved his hands around. "No need to call me Touya-san, and of course you can request…" he stopped at the sound of running footsteps. "Oh no… majesty? Could I ask you to move over to your left a bit?"

"Yes, of course." Tomoyo moved over as Touya braced himself for the impact.

"PICNIC!" A tall girl with long, strawberry colored hair in a blue and black dress cannoned into Touya's back. "LET ME HELP! I'll make the cookies and the cakes and…I'LL MAKE THE SWEETS!" she cried while hanging off of Touya's neck.

"Ano…Nakuru-san?" Tomoyo hazarded a guess on the girl's name. "I think you're cutting off Touyo-kun's air supply," she said, pointing at Touya, who was growing blue in the face.

"Oh, sorry Touya-kun!" said Nakuru as she let go. "But…please let me make the cookies?" she begged with cute sparkly eyes and a pout. Touya was not amused and was busily coughing and trying to massage his neck.

"Alright," he sighed in defeat. "I'll let you cook them if you promise you won't jump on me like that again today, and you promise not to add too much sugar."

Nakuru danced around happily and rushed off to get all the ingredients. Touya shook his head. "Don't worry princess, I'll make sure she doesn't go overboard, and we'll have your picnic basket ready in half an hour." With a tired bow he turned around to the kitchens and closed the door behind him.

_Erm…I hope all goes well,_ thought Tomoyo not a little worried. "Come Selene, let's go get ready," she said. Checking the time on a nearby clock, she decided she'd have time to dress in something different and try to create an outfit that would work as the clothes for the retinue. At her rooms, she changed into a light, white dress with lavender-violet ribbon woven through the hem. When she stood up, it reached just above her knees, but it didn't look indecent when she was sitting. It was the kind of dress she liked; ethereal in its simplicity and free enough for her to do magic in if that ended up being the case. It was short and therefore, less cumbersome than a long dress when she tried to fight. The neckline was shallow, then dipped down in almost a straight line until it reached the bottom of her breastbone. It was laced up at the front with the same colored ribbon as the hem. When laced up it exposed almost all her shoulders and her collarbones, making her look more alive and less pale in its whiteness. It was almost sleeveless, for the sleeves were very short and puffed with ribbon and frilled edging. She put on a pair of light lavender sandals and collected her sketching notebook, pens, and pencils. With Selene on her shoulder, she left, her steps a light as feathers.

* * *

Sakura 

Sakura opened her wardrobe, a sandal in one hand, Kero in the other. The other sandal was lying on the floor beside her. "Kero-chan! What am I going to wear?" she asked plaintively. She could never decide what to wear whenever she wanted to look good. _I hope that whatever I wear, Syaoran thinks I look nice, _she thought to herself blushing. Pulling out outfits from her wardrobe, she debated which to wear. "The dress on that one is pretty, but I can't wear it because the top has long sleeves, and it's going to be warm, I mean, it's MAY for heaven sakes. I suppose I could wear the short-sleeved blouse with the blue skirt that Mother bought me, but the skirt is too restricting. What if we're attacked? I can't fight in that skirt! I can't even walk properly in it!" A knock broke into her thoughts. "Come in!" she called.

"Sakura-chan? Need any help?" Tomoyo asked, stifling giggles at the pile of clothes that lay all over Sakura's bed.

"Tomoyo-chan!" cried Sakura. "Yes! Thank goodness you came! I was having so much trouble picking out clothes!"

Tomoyo smiled at her. "Why not this?" she asked, pointing to a thin strapped white tank top with a pink ribbon at the front, and pleated pink skirt of the same color. "You could wear the white shorts that I created underneath so that if we _did_ get attacked, you wouldn't have to worry. And the top isn't that short. It will show a bit of skin if you raise your arms too high, but it adds to the cuteness," she said with a smile at Sakura's blush.

"It's great! Thanks a million Tomoyo-chan," she said as she changed into her clothes. "What about Mei-chan and Chi-chan?"

"Most likely they'll go to the kitchens. I was there already and the cook Touya-kun said he'd pack us some picnic baskets. Don't worry Sakura-chan, they can always find our auras with that spell that we created yesterday," she reassured comfortingly.

"Alright then, let's go," said Sakura, finished dressing.

* * *

Meiling 

"Dress, dress, skirt, blouse, dress, hat, sandals… WHERE ARE MY HAIR RIBBONS!" cried Meiling distractedly. Ladon chuckled as his creator rummaged through drawer after drawing trying to find her hair ribbons. "YES!" A cry from Meiling signified that she had found what she had been looking for. Tying her long black hair with the two crimson ribbons, she spoke. "Ladon, can you give me a ride to the kitchens? I'll make us invisible…"

Ladon sighed but changed into his larger form, a fiery winged red lion with a flaming mane. Meiling cast a spell on them so that they would travel unseen, and got on his back. They raced down the marble halls, Ladon's claws silent on the floor because the spell made them silent as well as invisible. Unfortunately, neither of them knew very well where the kitchens were, so finally, they were reduced to wandering along the halls perplexedly and invisible. None of the others were working magic, and she couldn't trace their auras back to them. She gave a frustrated cry when she found herself in front of her own door. They had been walking around with circles.

"Why not try the link spell?" asked Ladon.

"Good idea!" she said, spirits much brighter. Searching within her magic, she found the small spell in her center. It was the only part of her that didn't feel completely hers, and yet, it felt just like the rest of her magic, comforting, solid, and friendly. Identifying the shimmering pale pink that was Sakura, the sky blue that was Chiharu, and the deep amethyst that was Tomoyo, the followed the three strands until Chiharu's started leading in another direction. "She mustn't have reached the kitchens yet," she murmured softly, and continued to follow the other two strands. Just as she turned the corner, a loud boom was heard. "C'mon Ladon! They might be in trouble!" she cried.

Turning the corner, they stopped suddenly. In her surprise, the magical shield dissipated and Ladon quickly had to disappear. "GHOST!" cried Meiling at the pale while, spectral, and oddly enough, very irritated figure before her.

"HOEEE!" Sakura screamed, hugging Tomoyo fearfully.

"Maa maa Sakura-chan, it's just Touya-kun covered in flour," said Tomoyo reassuringly patting Sakura's hand. Turning to the flour covered youth, she smiled. "I take it that Nakuru-san had a lot of fun?"

Touya just shook his head, wordlessly handing them four picnic baskets. "You'll need them. I know from experience that the younger two princes eat a great deal." He gave Tomoyo a small canister and smiled. "This is some Earl Grey Tea. It's Eriol-san's favorite blend. Inside, there'll be an even smaller canister with tiny packets of chamomile tea. They were blended by Yukito-kun himself, made to be extra bitter. They're also for Eriol-san. Whatever he does with them," Touya muttered under his breath.

Tomoyo smiled sweetly up at the older boy. "Thank you very much Touya-kun. We'll return the baskets when we get back." With a small curtsey, she and the two other girls left. Just before they turned the corner, Touya saw another girl, her hair done in two luxurious, mahogany braids join them.

"Sorry I'm late you guys," said Chiharu apologetically. I was taking a rather long shower. I suppose it's the hair," she mumbled unhappily. "Do you think I should get it cut?"

"Of course not," replied Tomoyo gaily. "Your hair's lovely! It would be a shame to cut such pretty hair." Meiling and Sakura nodded emphatically.

"Thanks you guys," Chiharu said. "I wouldn't have wanted to cut my hair anyway." The four girls chattered about what they could do at their picnic, and soon reached the stables. The princes, their horses saddled and bridled, waited. Four other horses, also saddled and bridled, but rider-less, waited. Chiharu grinned along with the others. She loved horseback riding. Three of the four horses were unknown to her, but she knew how to handle an unruly horse. "Will we be riding very far?" she asked curiously. If they were, she'd have to change her attire for something more suitable.

Yamazaki shook his head. "We only plan to go as far as a clearing in the forest around the castle, and it isn't very far. There isn't a trail there, but it's really very easy walking for the horses. You can ride side saddle if you wish," he said with a wink.

Chiharu blushed furiously, but swung herself up into the saddle of a bay mare all the same. She preferred riding bareback, but her dress wouldn't permit it. She watched Meiling nimbly mount a strawberry roan, and then realized that Tomoyo was holding a stack of picnic baskets, impossible without magical help. Waving a hand, she shrunk them, earning a thankfully smile from her elder cousin. Sakura got on a dappled pinto, and Tomoyo, the last of the girls into the saddle, with their shrunken picnic baskets in her hand, swung herself up into the saddle of Atlantis, her pale, blue-gray and white mare.

Eight pairs of lungs breathed in on a silent command, and soon a strong ward was erected around the group of horses. Outside the layer of ward, Eriol and Tomoyo crafted together the layer of tracer spells. Sakura and Syaoran did the layer of illusion spells while Chiharu, Yamazaki, Meiling, and Ken, spelled their eyes and the eyes of the horses to be able to see the ward when they needed to. Soon, they were traveling along the easy trail that led to the forest behind the castle.

The slow, easy gait of the horses soon lulled the group from any idle chatter that they were engaged in, and they spent the quarter of an hour getting to the clearing in relative silence. Tomoyo leaned against the strong, arched neck of her mare, the dark length of her hair cascading down the mare's pale white-blue mane. Her Guardian, in her smaller real form, was currently perched on one shoulder, purring contentedly. _Purring?_ The thought drifted through her mind softly. _I didn't know Guardians could imitate the animal that they appear to be, down to the last purr…_ Her thoughts drifted off again on that lazy current that sort of held her mind. The wind ruffled her skirt pleasantly enough, and she glanced surreptitiously at her riding partner. His eyes were trained on the road ahead of them, and didn't notice her observations. The same breeze that had played with her skirt also touched his hair, blowing the strands lightly into his eyes. A hand, without the gloves that she had seen that yesterday morning, and this morning for that matter, came up to brush the hair away, and his eyes glanced in her direction. He smiled as she lowered her eyes, nearly blushing, caught watching him. When she had looked up again, his eyes were back on the trail ahead. Another glance around told her no one had seen their little exchange.

Sakura had decided against riding side-saddle, the more ladylike pose was one she liked, but she could have better balance when she wasn't riding side-saddle, and she could then talk to Syaoran without having to hold the reins of her horse. For the first few minutes they chattered animatedly, but after a while, both contented themselves with riding close together, drinking in the clean air in companionable silence. The mare stumbled, losing its balance on a rock practically unhorsing Sakura, but the fine horsewoman was unworried, her knees gripping the saddle to keep her from falling off. She glanced over at Syaoran reassuringly, surprised to find him half out of his saddle, a hand hovering conspicuously over her knee. She smiled at his concern, eliciting blushes from Syaoran's neck to the tips of his ears, and stifled the urge to laugh. Her riding companion was so cute that way. _Cute? Did I just think that Syaoran-kun is cute? I mean, he is cute, but…what am I thinking!_ She shook her head a bit to clear the thoughts, a cookie munching Kero in her saddlebag giving her no advice.

"Did you know," a beautiful, delicately handcrafted rice-cake sweet entered his vision. "Suama!" he cried happily, taking the sweet. He looked up to find an almost smirking girl looking at him. The suama, a bit bigger than a normal one, was still in his hand, and he bit into it, savoring the soft sweetness of the candy.

Chiharu smiled. For the past ten minutes, she had stopped him every time he had opened his mouth with a snack from their picnic basket, but nothing had gotten such a strong reaction as that soft, pink sweet that Yamazaki was happily munching away at. _What had he called it? Suama? I'll have to remember that one,_ she thought quietly, Teiron perched on her shoulder, his long, blue tail feathers brushing her cheek, nibbling the proffered corner of another suama that she held out to him. She heard Eriol say that they were almost there and smiled at the thought. Lunch. Her stomach growled slightly. It had been some time since she had had breakfast, in bed she might add, and she was hungry.

"Are you going to eat that suama?" asked a curious voice. She looked up into Yamazaki's grinning face, the closed slits of his eyes looking at her face, a finger pointing at the suama held in her hand. "I could hear your stomach growling from here."

Chiharu blushed furiously and nodded as she bit into the candy. The urge to hit Yamazaki swiftly disappeared at the sudden sweetness of the suama flooded her mouth. It wasn't at all like the sharp, sweet tang of peppermints, one of her favorite sweets, but it was soft, syrupy, and all-pervading, and not a sensation she disliked. She chewed happily, not noticing the satisfied, close-eyed grin on Yamazaki's face, or the small flash of stormy gray-blue under dark lashes.

Meiling watched Ken, his graceful fingers twirling an old fashioned brush pen. A blank scroll was lying in his lap. She felt a tingle of power as sparkling ink flowed from the brush onto the paper. The brush twirled expertly in his hands, writing curious characters that looked nothing like the modern script of his kingdom. The gold, crimson, violet, and emerald shine of the ink surprised her. She couldn't read what Ken had written, but it had obviously caught his mind. He frowned, an unreadable look crossing his face. Meiling caught herself watching the way his lips moved and hid her blush with a toss of her long hair. She noticed Ken look up and smile at her, amid the cloud of silken tresses that the wind tossed around her, and grinned at him. He looked down again, but she couldn't help noticing the light blush that dusted his cheeks.

"We're here," announced Eriol, grinning slightly. He dismounted easily from his dark, ebony stallion, tying the reins to a branch and loosening his mount's girth. Soon the eight were all dismounted. Eriol took from his pocket a sturdy, nicely patterned, well woven pocket handkerchief, in a light, sea-and-sky blue. Murmuring a spell over it, he let it expand until it would allow at least twenty people to sit comfortably with enough room left over for the food. Another murmur caused the picnic baskets to float over and expand to their normal sizes, except for Chiharu and Yamazaki's; the suama that she'd taken out of the basket had forced her to return her basket to its normal size first. Soon everyone was settled on the enlarged handkerchief in a circle, the delectable foods at the center. Everyone had to agree that it was a feast fit for a king. There were platefuls of small sandwiches, platters of roast and fried chicken, some sausages, baskets of fruits, bowls of salad, steamy covered tureens of different soups, loaves of various breads, wedges of cheese, hotpots, turnovers, packets upon packets of cookies, cakes, and pudding, and many different drinks as well. There was white and red wine, tea, water, milk, and different fruit juices, all in their own bottles, labeled in a neat hand that Tomoyo decided must have been Yukito-san's.

It seemed as though a great many funny things had been kept in the saddle bags, for the boys soon had a place, much like a pavilion, set up. Actually, it was a small wooden miniature that Yamazaki had carved and fit together from a small sized piece of mahogany, but a bit of magic had enlarged it so that there was a flat platform large enough for the great carpet that had once been a handkerchief to lie upon. The girls soon had the foods in order at the center of the shaded pavilion as the princes pulled tiny pillows from their saddlebags, which had actually been shrunken by magic. Putting the pillows around the food in a comfortable way, they soon had the perfect place for eating outdoors. It wasn't like any of the small, simple picnics that the girls had enjoyed together, but it was certainly nice. The pavilion was low enough so that once their shoes were off, they could sit at the edge and the green grass would tickle the soles of their feet.

Meiling rested back against some pillows with a cup of chilled tea cradled in her hands. She happily sighed, sipping the cool drink. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Ken, sitting to her left, had a sandwich in one hand and his enchanted brush in the other. She could also see that if he wasn't careful, he would spill the contents of his sandwich onto the immaculate fabric of his clean, white, silk pants. Putting down her cup carefully, she took away the half-eaten sandwich from Ken and wiped the small spot of mayonnaise at the corner of his mouth with the napkin that used to be on her lap.

Ken blushed red hot like a poker. Curiously, Meiling put a hand on his forehead. "Are you alright? You're all flushed," she said in a worried tone of voice. "Are you coming down with something?"

Ken shook his head rapidly, dislodging the hand that was pressed lightly against his forehead. "I-I'm fine…" he stuttered. Still blushing, he picked up the sandwich again and took a big bite, choking on it.

"Ken-kun," sighed Meiling, "you're going to hurt yourself like that someday." She patted him on his back until he stopped coughing. Handing him a glass of water, she let him swallow large gulps, sighing when he coughed on that too.

"Here Meiling, let me help," suggested Tomoyo from Ken's left, suspecting the real reason why Ken wasn't recovering from his coughing fit very quickly. Under her ministrations, he soon stopped coughing and thanked her for helping him. She shook her head slightly and sat back down at Eriol's side.

She sipped a hot, but not burning, spoonful of cream of potato soup, dotted with small bits of bacon and cheese, humming pleasantly at the warmth of it rolling down into her stomach. She had found out what the small canister of extra-bitter chamomile tea had been for. Spinel particularly enjoyed the bitter taste of the hot tea. Her own Guardian who preferred sour over any of the tastes and acted rather peculiar when she came in contact with extremely salty foods, was licking cutely at half a lemon and half a lime with her pink tongue. Spinel sat next to her sipping his tiny cup of tea.

Tomoyo took another spoonful of the hot, creamy soup into her mouth, swallowing with evident pleasure, her rosy tongue slipping between sakura-petal like lips to lick off the last of the soup from them. Eriol watched, forcing down a blush at Tomoyo's elegant and almost flirtatious actions. She could even make eating an art. He tried to disguise his watching with another sip of tea, but he had the uncomfortable feeling that she knew he was watching. She picked up a strawberry from a bowl of fruit nearby and dipped the end in whipped cream. Her tongue darted out to sample the sweet, cream confection, and Eriol turned away, hiding his flushed cheeks with another sip of tea.

"Strawberry?" the mentioned fruit entered his vision, the tip lightly coated with whipped cream.

Eriol suppressed the sudden urge to gulp nervously. He noticed the half eaten strawberry in one hand, and the one extended out to him, almost to his lips, but not quite. On sudden inspiration, he dipped his head down gracefully, taking the proffered treat and chewing quite thoughtfully, hoping the others wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, there was no such luck with poor Eriol. The distinct clang of a cup falling onto cloth covered wood with a splash that signified there had still been drink inside, was all the notification Eriol needed. He could practically feel his ears burning. More embarrassing still, he imagined he could still feel the softness of her fingertips against his lips as he had when he had bitten into the tart sweetness of the strawberry. He chewed, succeeding without turning pinker than the lips of the crown princess, and tried not to look at anybody, maintaining the greater part of his calm.

Syaoran didn't notice that the mess by his knees was being magically mopped up by a floating handkerchief. He did notice though, when the handkerchief started wiping his pant legs of the tea all over them. Spluttering and blushing, he scooted away so quickly from Sakura that he almost fell of the edge of the pagoda. Instantly he was sorry, for a look of hurt flashed into her eyes before it disappeared. He cleaned his pants with a flick of his hand and took the wet, silk handkerchief from the girl. Soon it was neatly pressed, cleaned, and slightly perfumed by the scent of cherries.

"Mmmm! Plums and cherries!" breathed Sakura quietly, the pale pink handkerchief pressed lightly to her lips. "I love the scent of plums and cherries. Mother used to wear them…until…" Sakura stopped and Syaoran noticed tears forming in her eyes. She brushed them away with the handkerchief, smiling and crying as the scent of plums and cherries comforted her.

"The blue-plum trees and cherry blossom trees in our kingdom have been fading," said Chiharu quietly. "Queen Nadeshiko planted the most of the ones in the castle when Tomoyo-chan and Sakura-chan were born, but for a few years now, around five to be exact, those trees have been fading. Kaho-sensei, our mage teacher, said that fruit bearing trees flourish when there is more magic in an area, but no other type of fruit tree has been dying like that. You're very lucky. Nothing in your gardens is dying."

Syaoran glanced at the princess next to him who was wiping the last of her tears away with the handkerchief. "I…I didn't know," he stammered, blushing red as he patted the girl's hand. She sniffled and then smiled. Looking up at him, she blushed and gave the hand in hers a soft squeeze.

Yamazaki smiled as Syaoran's face began to steam. He nibbled the cookie in his hand in almost a bored manner. They were very good, though a bit too sweet for his liking. "Eriol-kun, has Nakuru-san been to the cookies again?" he asked.

Eriol smiled. "According to Tomoyo-san, Nakuru was adamant that she would make the cookies. I think Touya-kun had quite a time trying to get her to use less sugar."

Yamazaki nodded, grinning. "Juice Chiharu?" he asked, offering the girl a glass of apple juice. She shook her head. "Milk then?" he offered. Filling her glass when she nodded, he gave her a slice of chocolate cake as well. "You have to have Nakuru's chocolate cake if you're going to drink milk. Nakuru is famous for her chocolate-chip-and-german-chocolate-cake-with-chocolate-frosting-and-white-chocolate-roses-garnish. There really is nothing like it, it's chocolaty and sweet, but not too much, and perfect with lots of milk."

Chiharu grinned and took a bite. "Mmmm! It's really good!" she said with surprise around her mouthful of cake. Soon the slice of cake was gone, along with a jug of milk. "You weren't lying," said Chiharu almost accusingly as she wiped her lips with a napkin. "It _is_ good with lots of milk, and you _need_ lots of milk to finish a slice!" She giggled.

"Shall we clear away the meal then?" asked Eriol cordially.

Everyone nodded and soon the food and dishes were shrunken and packed away in their saddlebags. The pagoda, carpet, and pillows remained. Quickly and smoothly, a set of sound barrier charms was placed under the normal wards that they had made before setting out from the castle. Everything happened quietly and without a spoken word, for somehow, all eight of them knew that this picnic wasn't just a normal picnic.

For a time there was silence, each contemplating his or her own thoughts, but with a sigh Eriol began. "As you all know, there's more than one reason for this picnic."

Tomoyo nodded. "Would you mind, Eriol-kun, if you told us how this has all been happening from the start, and any reason why you think it could be happening?" she asked politely.

Around the circle there were collective nods.

Eriol smiled faintly, concealing his unhappiness with his usual close-eyed calm. Surprisingly, one person didn't fall for it. He could feel a tendril of her magic curl around his core, sending him comfort. Taking a calming breath he began. "A few months back, indeed, I believe it was exactly three months to this very day, that this began happening. As you heard yesterday, we began finding burn marks all over the orchards and gardens of the palace. My brothers and I set up a ward around the castle to protect it, as well as an identity spell over close lands, just in case something like that happened to the nearby holdings. Oddly enough, no other holding has been attacked. When we sent out tracer spells they would just disappear at one point. The attacks were nearly constant at one point, and we finally decided that we would go after the mage, un-magic or not."

Eriol sighed, silently thankful for the increased comfort Tomoyo was sending him. He breathed in, keeping the feeling of helplessness from flooding his voice. "It was a disaster. We almost lost Ken and Syaoran, and Yamazaki and I weren't much better. But we did figure out one thing. The un-magic mage lives in a kingdom to our east. Afterwards, Father decided to increase our training in battle arts, and Mother contributed to both our research and the wards around the palace. We didn't mean for you to get involved, but when I found Tomoyo-san's scrying spell, I realized that she had magic. It was essential that you were all warned…but it turned out that you were all mages, so I guess that cleared things up." His cheerful smile was back in place.

"Eriol-kun, you know that we will help you in every way we can," said Tomoyo softly, breaking the silence. The other girls nodded and an uncomfortable silence descended upon them.

"Well then!" Meiling said, a touch loudly. Whipping a miniature, low table from a hidden pocket, she murmured a word and placed the rapidly enlarging table on the empty space of the pavilion between them. "Anybody able to conjure up a map of the Seven Nations?" she asked briskly.

Catching on, Ken waved a hand in the air and brought out a map from the emptiness before him. He lay it out flat on the top of the table, using sturdy iron pins to keep it from rolling up again. Everyone leaned closer to the table and serious debating began. "Of the seven kingdoms this side of the sea, there are only four to the east of the Li kingdom…" Ken took a moment to count them off on his fingers. "The Kouyama kingdom, the Asakura kingdom, the Higurashi kingdom, and of course, the Kinomoto kingdom."

"But, which kingdom would hold hostility towards the Li kingdom?" asked Chiharu.

Yamazaki shrugged. "I am well acquainted with the rulers of the Asakura kingdom, but they are in the midst of a very personal civil war with a renegade mage by the name of Hao. Their kingdom is also the farthest from ours. I find it hard to believe that they would be thinking of attacking our kingdom at the moment."

Syaoran nodded his agreement to his. "Besides, the Crown Prince, Asakura Yoh is hardly one to be attacking people. He was the one who set up the trade agreements and peace treaties with all seven kingdoms, and we all went over them," he remarked, motioning to his brothers. "There wasn't a single loophole anywhere to give any one country an advantage."

"The Kouyama kingdom then?" asked Ken.

"Of course not," Tomoyo replied with a bright smile. "Mitsuki would be the last person to do that! Besides, her whole kingdom is getting renovated and she's about to be married to Kira Takuto. I really think Mitsuki is more like Yoh-san. Besides. Isn't her kingdom a coastal kingdom? I heard they were going to be expending their army in guarding the trading ships that traveled from their country to the southern nations."

"The Higurashi kingdom we don't know about," Sakura mentioned.

Syaoran snorted. "Eriol knows the prince there rather well. It seems he and our second cousin Miroku helped Inuyasha marry the princess Kagome. As that kingdom and ours is practically linked by blood, I doubt they would attack us."

"Besides," added Eriol, "they've just finished a battle between the evil youkai and the good youkai of the land. From what I hear, their mages will take another year or so in healing the land and people. Any un-magic user would be no good for them."

Tomoyo bit her lip uncertainly. "But, that means that the un-magic mage is from the Kinomoto kingdom."

Dead silence met her statement.

Eriol looked at her, his eyes no longer holding their customary mischievous glint. "Tomoyo-san, none of us here thinks the mage is coming from your kingdom. We are aware that the throne would not be behind such work." His eyes momentarily reflected his concern for her. "We suspect renegades that are out of the power of all four kingdoms."

After an uncomfortable silence where Tomoyo nodded her thanks to Eriol for his words, the talk drifted back to possible mages with the need for revenge that strong. An hour later, everyone mutually agreed that it was time to call it quits. They packed methodically, each lost in their own contemplations of the recent events, and it was a silent party that returned to the castle.

None to soon it seemed, for as soon as Tomoyo swung herself from the saddle, she could feel the familiar aura of her other guardian, Ion, approaching. She blushed as he knelt before her and tugged his sleeve impatiently for him to get up. She noticed that he had done his hair today so that the thick, dark length was a neat braid. "Yes Ion?" she questioned him.

"Tomoyo-sama, King Li requires the attendance of the Li Princes, yourself, Sakura-san, Chiharu-san, and Meiling-san," he said solemnly.

Tomoyo nodded smiling. She let Ion escort her towards the building, unaware that a certain cerulean-eyed prince was dearly wishing to be the one to escort her in Ion's stead.

* * *

Main Reception Hall 

"I realize this is a little sudden," intoned the king, "but with one thing and another," he nodded to his sons standing at the base of the dais, "there have not been enough social events held by the royal family, and it has been tradition to hold a festival out in the castle gardens at this time of year. So, I have taken the liberty, while you were all away, to arrange for a ball this Friday. Since its Wednesday, you will have all day tomorrow to prepare, and probably until mid-afternoon on Friday as well." King Li noticed that he was receiving little reaction from his sons and his guests. "Is there a problem?" he asked pleasantly.

"W-we're going to have a _what_ exactly this Friday?" asked Syaoran, the most forthright of the princes.

"An evening ball in the castle gardens and orchards," replied the king to his son.

"A WHAT!"

* * *

Please review!

Cobalt Rose


	5. Preparing for the Ball

A new update! And so quickly too that I am surprised. A lull in school has been the cause. Praise my teachers for their blessings in giving me little homework! Anyway, here's the newest update on how our favorite characters prepare for the upcoming ball. It's Thursday, May 4th at the time! To think, they've been in the Li courts for...four days? There's another 27 left to go...

Cobalt Rose

A Month in the Courts of Li

Preparing for the Ball

* * *

Tomoyo reclined lazily on a couch dressed in a pair of loose, floaty, silk pajama pants and a button up top of the same material, going over what had happened with King Li several hours before. _A ball? This Friday?_ She wondered if she should magic some clothing up. She yawned and stretched just as a knock sounded on her door. "Who is it?" she asked curiously. Most people didn't usually knock on the door of a Crown Princess after ten at night. The door opened to reveal Ion and Sakura. 

Right on cue, a flash of lightning from a nearby window, accompanied by the guttural boom of thunder, made Sakura wince. Tomoyo tried not to let her laughter show, but when Meiling and Chiharu appeared a few seconds later, she really did laugh. "Come on in Sakura-chan, Mei-chan, Chi-chan, it's lonely without you guys," she said, still giggling. Ion nodded to her and silently glided out, reminding her that she would really have to get him to open up to her soon. Pushing the thought from her mind, she crawled onto her enormous bed with the others. Soon, the four of them were laughing gaily, the Guardians in their smaller real shapes, the storm raging outside forgotten.

A few hours later, Tomoyo found herself yawning sleepily along with her sister and two cousins. Slipping off the bed, she opened the door to her bedchamber and found Ion and Yue outside. "Ion, I think Sakura and the others will be sleeping in my room tonight, so do you think you could bring us some more blankets and pillows?" she asked politely.

"Yes Tomoyo-sama."

She sighed in irritation, doing her best not to blow the stray hair away from her face. It was a habit she had when she didn't want to be polite as a Crown Princess should. "Ion, I don't mind you calling me Tomoyo-sama, but please, just because I created you, it doesn't mean I'm your master. Can't we be friends? You don't need to be so formal…" she trailed off. Soft, gloved fingers tilted her chin up until she was looking into storm-dark and deep blue eyes. They were deep and shimmering with secrets, and a half-smile, almost cheeky in its suddenness, graced Ion's lips.

"I wasn't sure if it would be polite to do such towards the one who created me." Ion let go gently and swept off, leaving a bewildered Tomoyo in his wake.

_How very odd…_

"I should have done that before," she remarked ruefully as she returned to the bed. "Do you guys mind sleeping here?" she asked when she had climbed back onto the thick, white silk, down-filled quilt that covered her canopy bed.

"Of course we don't!" answered Meiling as the others shook their heads. A particularly loud crash of thunder caused them all to jump. "Besides, going to sleep alone in our own rooms would be particularly uncomfortable after this…"

* * *

The Next Morning

Eriol knocked quietly on Tomoyo's door. To his surprise, there was no response from the other side. "Tomoyo-san?" Still there was no sound from the other side of the door. Ion stood by his side like a silent shadow. With a shrug, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door slightly open. Sunlight streamed through the windows as water droplets glistened like oiled diamonds from green leaves on the other side of the shutters. An angel lay amid her heavenly attendants. _Tomoyo-san…_ Eriol found himself drawing closer, leaning towards the pale beauty. "Tomoyo-san.?"

_Tomoyo-san?_ Tomoyo shrugged off her sleepiness like a heavy coat and blinked sleepily. _That's odd…_ A blur of pale cream and deep blue swam before her sleepy eyes. Rubbing them to clear them, she smiled sweetly at the familiar face above her. "Ohayo Eriol-kun," she murmured quietly.

Eriol smiled back, though he could feel his heartbeat speeding up. The sunlight glinted off her dark hair, mesmerizing…her sleep-clouded eyes soft in the morning calm. "Ohayo Tomoyo-chan." It took a second for his words to register. _Tomoyo-CHAN!_ He desperately hoped that the princess had been still too sleepy to have heard him properly. Extending a hand, he helped the slightly unbalanced princess from the bed. His hands rested there, one on her arm to steady her and one holding her hand still, remaining there a little longer than necessary. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, attempting to cover up his lingering touch.

"Yes, of course, Eriol-kun. With my sister and cousins, none of us went to sleep lonely." She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked up. "Eriol-kun? What are you doing in my room?"

_Huh?_ Eriol blinked a moment, confused. "I…I got in here because…wait…you talked to me and…"

"Uh-oh…" Tomoyo blushed hotly and hastened to explain. "I'm always rather disoriented in the morning. I'm a morning person, but it takes a half-hour at least for me to wake up properly. I'm very confused in the morning; confused but not cranky. That's why I wake up early. That way when someone wants to ask me something in the morning, I don't just let my mouth run off with me. Did I say anything weird?" she asked curiously.

"Not at all Tomoyo-san," Eriol reassured her. Remembering why he needed to be there he hastily changed the subject. "Mother wished to see you, Sakura-san, Meiling-san, and Chiharu-san because the ball is tomorrow and she wondered if you would like to help decorate the palace." He paused a moment before asking, "Do you have certain things you prefer? In the decorating sense, I mean," he amended a bit hastily.

Tomoyo tilted her head to one side in thought before nodding. "Sakura-chan particularly likes cooking, and she's very creative when it comes to fancy dishes. Mei-chan is good with interior designing. I guess it comes from her family line. Her grandfather designed the lesser temple of Clow Reed that resides near our palace."

"Lesser temple of Clow Reed?" Eriol asked curiously. "Pardon me, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

Tomoyo laughed softly so as not to wake her sleeping relatives. "Meiling-chan's grandfather built a temple of Clow Reed near the palace so that the royal family could go and seek guidance. Father asked Kaho-sensei if she wished to be shrine maiden there, but she refused." Tomoyo's brow creased into a frown as she muttered, half to herself, "It's so odd…Kaho-sensei normally acts as a shrine maiden, but she doesn't visit the lesser temple." Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she felt her lips twitch into a smile once more. "But really, I digress," she laughed, eyes filled with the sparkle of mirth.

Eriol had to laugh as well. "I really must stop letting my curiosity get the better of me Tomoyo-san, please, continue," he said, settling down on the window seat.

"Chi-chan is a good organizer, and she has the uncanny knack for knowing what kind of entertainment will suit what kind of gathering," Tomoyo remarked as she sat down next to him, curling up so that her legs rested on the couch as well. "I think she got it from all those stories Naoko-chan told her," she whispered impishly, her tone one of mock-secrecy.

"And you?" Eriol asked playfully as Spinel, in his smaller real form of a blue-black cat with cerulean eyes, padded softly over Eriol's arms and shoulders.

Picking up Selene, whose velvety paws tickled her feet, she laughed. "I do gardens!"

"You what?" came a sleepy voice from the bed.

Eriol and Tomoyo glanced at each other and laughed as the three other girls woke up. Spinel and Selene just traded interested glances, as if sharing a secret.

* * *

Main Reception Hall

Queen Yelan surveyed her sons and the four guests from the Kinomoto kingdom. It was nearly mid-morning, and she knew the servants of the palace were well underway in their own preparations for the upcoming event. Even so, she could tell that, what with the ominous happenings of recent days, the more courtly organization of a ball would put their minds from the un-magic mage. _But who to pair up with who…_she wondered. She had no doubt that she would have her eldest work with the Crown Princess, since both were well matched in their love of gardening and botany, but the other three were a little more difficult. From what Eriol had told her this morning, Meiling Wei would prefer designing the dining hall and the indoor dancing chamber. She knew that Ken, her youngest by a quarter of an hour, had an eye for colors that was rivaled only by Eriol's. She would pair Syaoran with Sakura. Though the boy had no skills in the kitchen, he knew best which foods were most likely to be appreciated by the kingdom's nobles. That left Yamazaki and Chiharu together. It wasn't a bad idea at all, since Yamazaki was popular with the wandering minstrels of the capital city. They often said that if he hadn't been born a prince he would have been just as rich anyway: a rich minstrel.

She cleared her throat to catch their attention, silently amused by how all eyes were instantly trained on her; including Yamazaki's whose eyes always seemed closed. "Because of the preparations for the ball, I would be pleased if you could aid the castle staff for the ball." She paused a moment and remembered what her husband had said that morning. "I believe my husband the king forgot to inform you, this ball is being held in honor of our guests from the Kinomoto Kingdom. A sort of welcoming ball you could say," she told them with a small smile. "There are four particular areas of work that need concentration. The royal gardens need special attention, the indoor dancing hall and dining hall need to be decorated, the menu for the meal tomorrow needs to be drawn up and the kitchens notified, and suitable entertainment must be sought for the guests that will attend tomorrow's gathering. So, I have decided that Eriol and Tomoyo see to the gardens, Meiling and Ken will decorate the indoor rooms, Sakura and Syaoran will attend to tomorrow's meal, and Yamazaki and Chiharu will find entertainment for tomorrow night." It was so interesting how the eight of them colored up in their own way.

This would indeed be very interesting. She nodded to them and the eight left, chattering softly among themselves about what they would do.

* * *

Outside Hallway

"How long do you think the preparations will take?" Tomoyo asked Eriol quietly once they exited the reception hall.

"I doubt it will take all day, but I'm certain lunch will be a casual affair." He turned to the others and addressed them, Tomoyo at his side. "Since I have a feeling that we will not see each other until dinner, perhaps there is a way we could communicate in case anything happened?" he asked.

"We could use the mirrors," Sakura suggested.

Tomoyo nodded in agreement, but then frowned. "We didn't make the mirrors to be double transmission though," she stated.

"Easily remedied," Ken told her. "Just give them to me and let me see them a moment?"

The four mirrors were produced and handed over. Ken adjusted them to their original size and muttered to himself for a while before his eyes developed a silvery, almost glassy look. The others could distinctly feel what he was doing, but nobody said anything. The mirror surfaces shone for a second before the mage-light faded from them. "That should do it," Ken told the others with a smile.

"Almost," Yamazaki said slyly, his eyes still closed. With a finger he touched each of the mirrors in turn and then handed them back to their owners. "Now they should heat up and send out a magical signal when someone is using one of the other mirrors in an attempt to contact you," he told them.

"That's okay bro," Syaoran said to Ken, patting his arm in a mock-condescending tone. "Someday you'll think everything through."

Ken flushed and punched his brother lightly on the arm. "Shut up you. I at least did something," he retorted amid the laughter of the others.

"Well then," Eriol said pleasantly when the laughter had died down. "I'll see you all at dinner tonight. Oh and Yamazaki," he added suddenly. "If you're planning to go into the city to hire minstrels, either go with a full guard or in disguise."

Yamazaki nodded, still smiling, as the four pairs went in their separate ways.

* * *

Sakura and Syaoran

"Are there any particular specialties of the Li Kingdom that we should place on the festive board?" Sakura asked curiously. As far as she remembered, there were specialties, but she couldn't quite remember what they were at the moment. It was Tomoyo who could recall inane facts from the depths of her mind.

Syaoran frowned slightly, trying to recall which of several dishes would be most complimentary in the spring. "There are a few, but I think we require more thought than just quick thinking. Would you mind accompanying me to the castle's central library? I'm certain there will be a large section on such dishes," he suggested.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "What if we added foreign dishes as well?" she asked.

"A perfectly reasonable, and perhaps a most constructive idea," Syaoran admitted. "This _is_ a ball held in honor of your coming, so it would be proper to have several of your kingdom's specialties on the festive board." His face became a mask of thoughtfulness as the two walked down a deserted corridor towards the library. Ideas for foods whirled half-formed in his mind. His Guardian, a golden feline with emerald green eyes, emerged from the jewel clasp at his throat, mewing plaintively. He cradled the golden guardian in his arms as she clawed her way to his shoulder, appraising the princess at his side. "Meyri," he scolded, "you're getting claw marks on my new shirt."

The cat on his shoulder chucked. "You can magic it back to normal," was her retort. Turning her attention away from her creator, she watched as Kero in his own feline form crawled from the pendant around Sakura's neck into her arms. "Hello Cerberus. It's nice to see you," she greeted calmly.

"Meyrilas, I could say the same," Kero nodded to her. Both Guardians jumped down from their respective creators and proceeded to greet each other by touching noses together. In a manner of seconds, the two golden cat-forms were talking quietly about un-magic and its affects on mages.

Sakura glanced down at the two Guardians and giggled. "They remind me of a golden version of Spinel and Selene," she whispered to Syaoran. "You can tell at a glance that Spinel and Selene are well matched in power and intellect, and they share evident affection between them. They get along so well and I swear, I think I just saw them touch noses."

"Is that not common?" Syaoran asked curiously as he pushed open the door to the library.

"It's a sign of…oohh!" Sakura gasped mid-sentence at the extensive library. Before her were rows and rows of shelves filled with books. To either side were balconies with tables and chairs for reading, and large glass windows through which bright sunlight streamed through, illuminating the place. The smell of ink and parchment, leather and bookbinding glue, permeated the immense library. Soft carpets of rich earthy browns, cheerful reds, calming greens, and dancing blues; depicted flowers, hunting scenes, and palace dances. At the center, the carpets stopped abruptly, leaving smooth marble floors, and a flowering apple tree rooted at the center of a bubbling fountain of sparkling water. "It's beautiful," she breathed reverently. "Tomoyo would love this place…"

Syaoran chucked softly. "Would the princess like a tour?" he asked with a mock-bow.

"Yes please!" Sakura answered immediately.

"Then step right this way," Syaoran remarked, leading her down the center isle to the apple tree, "and I'll show you the whole place." He paused. "But first, what's so important about Guardians touching noses?" he asked mischievously.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried, impatiently wishing to see the library. "It's a sign of affection because Guardians, especially those who take on feline forms, tend to find it a bit like the human way of kissing."

"Very insightful," Syaoran told her gravely, though his eyes sparkled with laughter. "Then, on with the tour!" he said cheerfully.

Behind them, oblivious to their surroundings, Kero stroked Meyri's ears with a velvety paw, and Meyri laughed, touching her nose to his.

A half hour later, Sakura found herself comfortably curled up on an armchair with her legs dangling over one arm. The soft silk of her pants clung comfortably to her legs. One of her sandals lay on the carpeted floor of their little corner, while the other dangled from her foot. The Chinese style top was a becoming shade of rose-pink, which contrasted well against the pure white of her pants. Before her eyes, tasty dishes made her mouth water, even though it was only an hour after breakfast.

Syaoran lay on his stomach on the couch, a small pile of cookery books lying on the carpeted floor as he read the thickest one swiftly, taking note of any specific delicacies that were particular to either the Li or the Kinomoto Kingdoms. The ward he had placed would keep them from being bothered until it was mid-afternoon and almost time for dinner. They had decided beforehand that they would conjure up food for their lunch. Turning the page over a savory soup of thinly sliced vegetables and beef, he flipped over onto his back. The loose, green tunic rustled slightly as he twisted, his white pants twitching as he dug his bare toes deeper into the plush of the couch.

* * *

Meiling and Ken

"Wow!" Meiling gasped in awe as she surveyed the large ballroom. "It's perfect!"

Ken laughed at her happiness. "I think it's one of our largest ballrooms. It's probably the best one anyway since the balcony over there leads down to the gardens," he told her, pointing to a wide arch to their right.

"Oh I want to go see but…decorating first!" she said firmly. "Do you think silk or velvet would work well with the palace décor, Ken?" she asked him in a mock-grave voice.

"Silk would be best Mei-mei," he replied seriously. "I don't think we would be able to use velvet banners in the ballroom. Too heavy," he told her.

"MEI-MEI!" she cried, blushing furiously.

Ken grinned and tugged lightly on a lock of her long hair. "You don't mind do you?" he asked her with a cheeky wink.

Still bright red, Meiling attempted a pout. "It sounds so…childish," she muttered in a voice bordering on resentment.

Ken tugged the lock of hair again. Leaning closer to her he whispered, "Well I think it sounds cute, sort of like you." Laughing at her squeak of embarrassment, he turned so she wouldn't see the pink of his heating cheeks. With a flick of his fingers, pure white silk banners stretched high overhead. Each one changed into a different color, reflecting the pure, bright colors of the eight young peoples' auras, and had the person's full title embroidered in silk thread, a shade darker than the actual banner, on it near the lower hem. Banners of cream-colored silk, embroidered with the royal crests of both kingdoms in shining red thread, hung between them. "The basics," he told her, grinning.

"Do you think we ought to light all the candles on the chandelier? Or should we light them only at intervals?" Meiling asked, pointing to the gold and crystal dome above them.

"We ought to check whether or not the candles are all there," replied Ken, looking up in a preoccupied way. "Ward the room and we'll fly up? The other way is too slow after all…"

Meiling nodded, sending out her power and sealing the room so that no one could enter without their consent. The two mages surged up into the air, inspecting the candles. After several circuits of the chandelier, both agreed that all the candles were in place. With light taps of their shoes, they landed. On inspiration Meiling reached out, her fingers dancing lightly over Ken's sides. The prince laughed and turned, face red and trying to get away from the treacherously tickling fingers of his companion.

"Ack! No fair!" He lunged for the younger girl, only to grab thin air as she leapt up, aided by her rose-red wings.

Mocking laughter fell like angel feathers from near the ceiling. "Catch me if you can!" Meiling called down to him.

With a look of stubborn determination on his face and laughter in his eyes, Ken Li, dignified prince, chased Countess Meiling Wei, maiden of the royal retinue of the Li Kingdom's guests, in and out of banners in midair. Below them, two feline-looking stuffed animals, one in crimson and another in a light spring green, exchanged glances. The two Guardians were being thoroughly ignored.

"So much for dignified, well-behaved royalty ne Sylphira?" the crimson lion muttered.

A soft paw tapped his nose lightly. "People do silly things when they're in love, Ladon," the emerald-hued tigress with faint amber stripes retorted.

"Love you say…"

"Yup."

"Oh." For lack of a better thing to do, the lion snorted and turned away.

The tigress scratched her nose nonchalantly, waiting for the two laughing people up in the air to come down. It was a long wait.

* * *

Chiharu and Yamazaki

Chiharu glanced apprehensively as Yamazaki pushed open the doors to his chambers. "Uh…Yamazaki?" A hand grabbed her wrist as the ever-smiling prince dragged her into his personal chambers, deaf to her stammered protests. "Yamazaki! What are you doing!" She asked him as she was dragged through his study and into his bedroom. Her face grew hot, even though her body instantly tensed up.

Yamazaki let go of her hand and walked over to a door on the far side. Opening it, he motioned to Chiharu. Inside, there were rows upon rows of clothing.

_His wardrobe?_ Her curiosity made her draw closer, watching the prince throw clothes haphazardly over his shoulder. _That's odd…_she thought to herself. _Those clothes are all in the peasant style…_

"Remember Eriol saying that I should either take a royal guard or go in disguise to the city? A royal guard takes too much time to set up, so I opted for going in disguise. I always keep some peasant clothing in my dressing room so that I can visit my friends in the city," Yamazaki explained pleasantly. He handed Chiharu a pretty peasant blouse and cherry-red dress, with a crisp white apron. Both the cuffs of the blouse and the hem of the apron were embroidered with strawberries the color of the dress. "Take those, go into the dressing room, and change alright?" he told her. "I'll change out here."

Chiharu nodded dumbfounded as she walked into the dressing room. Stripping off her sky-blue silk dress that laced up with cerulean ribbons at her back, she changed into the plain, cotton gown and blouse. She looked at herself in the large mirror at the back of the room and decided that the clothes weren't all that bad. Twirling on one foot, she admired the way the dress flared out before she stopped suddenly. "Yamazaki?" she called through the door, "I need a petticoat for this!"

"There should be one in the bottom drawer of the bureau near the back of the room!" he called back.

Rummaging through the mentioned drawer, she found a petticoat of fine, silvery silk edged in costly lace. "It's silk!" she told him.

"I always thought if I ever had someone visit the city with me, she'd probably like to have something familiar against her skin," he said, laughing.

Chiharu blushed and said no more until she exited the dressing room.

"Hmm…" Yamazaki walked a full circle around her, making sure her disguise was complete. Muttering thoughtfully, he pulled out a rose-hued sash and tied it around her waist, ignoring the bright blush on her cheeks. Facing her, he grinned. "Almost perfect," he told her, undoing the jeweled ribbons of blue silk that threaded through her hair. Pulling two ribbons of strawberry color, he tied them to her braids and adjusted them so that the ends curled becomingly near her cheeks. "Now you're perfect," he told her in a cheeky voice.

Doing her best to smother the rising blush, Chiharu glanced sidelong at the prince, taking in his dark pants and loose, cream blouse with the top two buttons open. "How will we get down from the Imperial Plateau?" she asked curiously, her bare feet sinking into the carpet.

"I thought we might ride, but peasants and minstrels don't have horses, so I think we could go down to the city via our Guardians," he replied.

Chiharu blushed and murmured embarrassedly, "Yamazaki, my Guardian is a blue phoenix. It can't carry me."

"Says who?" piped a silvery-blue phoenix on Yamazaki's shoulder. "All Guardians can carry their creators. It just takes us a little more effort."

Teiron poked his head out from the pendant that lay on Chiharu's collarbones. "I'd know that voice anywhere. Sephyl, are you going to bother me in this world too?" Chiharu frowned and tapped his head in reproof.

Sephyl just trilled in laughter. "I don't bother you, you like it," she told him, fluttering to Chiharu's shoulder. "Don't worry, it's quite easy," she reassured Chiharu. "As a matter of fact, we ought to be going right now."

Yamazaki nodded and led the way out of the castle. Once they had made it past the courtyard and quite a distance down the plateau's path, he stopped. "Ok, we can start here, since no one can see us from here," he told Chiharu.

Teiron and Sephyl grew to their larger forms, so large that their tail feathers swept the ground when the perched on their respective creators' shoulders. "Work an invisibility spell while we take our greater forms alright?" Sephyl asked. The two phoenixes took their greater forms, flying down from their previous locations as to not harm their creators, and Chiharu gasped in surprise.

Both phoenixes were now able to carry one person with ease. At Teiron's invitation, she climbed onto his back and held onto his soft feathers. In a rush of cold air, she found herself looking down upon a grand city surrounded by forests, fields, and cobbled roads. Below her she could see the spires of various temples, large mansions owned by the nobles, and best of all, sprawling marketplaces filled with people. With a shriek of excitement, she found herself plummeting from the top of the Imperial Plateau down into the forest. In a matter of seconds, she hopped down from a shrinking Teiron's back and smoothed her wind ruffled skirts.

"That was fun!" She giggled, letting Teiron back into her pendant.

"The return journey will be just as I assure you," Yamazaki replied as he led the way through the forest to the city gates. Passing the guards unnoticed in the crush of people entering the city, the two walked down the main street as Yamazaki explained where different shops were located. "If you ever have a problem finding a certain thing, the best thing to do is get a map of the city. Most things are sold in districts unless it's sold in the marketplaces," he explained to an enraptured Chiharu, who was taking in the scenery.

"You're very lucky to be able to visit here! You must do it often if you have even girls' peasant clothing," she told him as she inspected the wares of a jeweler's shop.

Yamazaki just laughed and took her hand, dragging her down another street into the minstrel district and into a small restaurant.

"A restaurant in the minstrel's district?" Chiharu asked him curiously.

"Even minstrels have to eat," Yamazaki said, laughing as he greeted the waitress. "Mira! Long time no see ne?"

A young woman with long, silvery-blue hair and turquoise eyes smiled as she set two cups of water next to them. "Hello Yamazaki-kun, it's been a while since I've seen you, so…what would you like to order?" she asked, smiling brightly.

"I'd like a ramen," Yamazaki answered after some thought. Turning to Chiharu, he handed her a menu. "You might want to look through there first."

Chiharu looked down at the menu, but there were so many foods she didn't recognize. "I think I'll have a ramen like Yamazaki," she told the waitress as she handed back her menu.

"Good choice," the older girl told her with a smile, going off to the kitchens.

"You know a lot of people here don't you," Chiharu said as they waited for their food.

"Of course," Yamazaki replied with his close-eyed grin. "After all, I come down here almost once every week to keep in touch with the city minstrels. There's tons of entertainment from the city that we use for our parties you know," he told her cheekily. "The nobles like to have some casual entertainment as well as the orchestras and singers."

Chiharu blushed. "I thought our court was the only one weird enough to do that," she said quietly.

Yamazaki laughed, but before he could answer her, Mira reappeared with two steaming bowls of ramen in her hands.

"Here's your order," she said cheerfully. "Oh and…" she blushed, "Could you give this to Touya-kun at the palace Yamazaki-kun?" she asked as she handed Yamazaki an envelope.

Yamazaki nodded and dug into one of his pockets. "Here," he told her, grinning as always. "Touya-kun asked me to give this to you." There were two turquoise hued ribbons with flowers embroidered at the ends. Mira blushed bright red and accepted them from the grinning 16-year-old.

Chiharu tilted her head to one side. "You know Touya-kun?" she asked.

Mira went three shades darker red and said nothing.

"Touya-kun and Mira-san are hopelessly in love with one another, but because Touya works in the castle as a cook and Mira's family lives here, she can't go up to the castle to work. That's why I come down to give them news of one another every week!" Yamazaki told her proudly.

Chiharu nodded. "I'll help!" she said grinning, already feeling the effects of playing cupid.

"Thank you," Mira whispered, still bright red, steam slowly wafting away from her face as she walked off to the kitchen.

Chiharu laughed happily and looked down at her ramen. She picked a little up and ate. "It's good!" she said, surprised.

"Why do you think I ordered it?" Yamazaki asked cheerfully with his mouth full.

"Oishi," Chiharu told him as she too ate, loving the taste of the delicious dish.

Had she looked up, she might have noticed that Yamazaki's grin had become a contented smile. But she didn't, and missed the stormy-blue that shone for a moment through dark lashes.

* * *

Tomoyo and Eriol

"Come on, Tomoyo-san, carefully…"

Tomoyo giggled and took a careful step forward, mindful of the fact that she was blindfolded. "Why am I blindfolded Eriol-kun?" she asked, cutely confused.

"Because I wanted to show you the garden. It's a surprise," Eriol whispered.

A blush flamed in Tomoyo's cheeks as she felt Eriol's warm breath brush her neck, causing a shiver to run through her small frame. Trustingly, she stepped out, down a set of steps onto the cobblestones that must have been the path into the garden. "Can I look now?" she asked Eriol curiously.

She heard his chuckles behind her and half turned when his hands on her shoulders stopped her. "We're ready," he told her softly, and she could feel his hands slowly undoing the blindfold. As the silk dropped from her eyes to Eriol's hands, she blinked and gasped.

Before her was an arch of roses, each a perfect, crimson and blooming; they filled the air with their sweet scent. Beyond the arch lay a paradise garden, with small rivulets of water running through the grass into the small lakes and wider streams of the garden. Farther back was a miniature waterfall that cast tiny rainbows like mist over the fruit trees that were in full bloom. A small, wooden bridge spanned the largest stream, which led from the base of the waterfall, around the exquisite place, to run right past Tomoyo's feet, and she noticed the gleam of scales as a fish swam past. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the multitude of scents coming from the numerous flowers that danced softly to the puffs of the wind. As if in a dream, she walked through the arch of roses into the garden to the shade of a large plum tree, looking up through the branches as flower petals drifted down to settle like snowflakes in her hair.

Turning towards Eriol, she smiled in pure, joyful, unguarded innocence. "It's beautiful," she breathed, so softly that he almost didn't hear her. A full blossom fell from an overhanging branch to rest lightly against her ear, and the reached up, pulling it from the strands of her hair to breathe in the pure fragrance. "Plum blossoms…it's been so long since I've been able to smell the scent of plum blossoms," she whispered, half to herself, half to Eriol. For a long moment, she was silent, lost in thoughts of her own dying garden, but then she murmured, "so beautiful," to herself and looked up.

Eriol stood transfixed at the sight of the beautiful angel before him. With her dark hair playfully batted by the mid-morning breeze and pale white-and-pink petals falling to rest in the ebony waves of her hair, she truly looked like an angel come to rest in her heavenly garden. _Yes Tomoyo-chan,_ Eriol thought to himself as he watched the princess clad in a dark lavender Chinese-style top and long, flowing white silk pants, _the garden is beautiful, but you are more so._ Regaining his composure, he took her hand and led her to the small bridge. Standing there, they could see all of the garden, and beyond the hedges that circled it. All around them, arranged in bewildering confusion, was a circular maze that extended far in all directions.

Tomoyo gasped. "We're standing in the middle of a gigantic maze!" she cried, turning to face Eriol, her eyes wide with surprise.

"That is exactly what we're doing," he replied, a Cheshire grin on his face. "Now," he whispered, leaning over so that his lips almost brushed her ear, "how would you like to decorate the garden?"

"D-decorate?" Tomoyo fought down a blush and told herself to focus on the task at hand. "How about we spell the place to look like it would during the nighttime first, and then add any changes we feel like?" she suggested.

"Good idea," Eriol told her as he waved a hand, letting inky darkness spread across the sky. It enveloped the garden in a bubble that resembled the night sky.

Tomoyo leaned back to look up at the stars shining like jewels in the midnight above her head as Selene floated softly out of her pendant to jump to the wooden railing of the bridge. For a moment the two let themselves be absorbed in the dark beauty of it all. "The stars are beautiful," Tomoyo whispered to Eriol when he stepped towards her.

"Hai," he told her softly, his own Guardian fluttering to Selene's side. "But it's too bad that the moon is a crescent moon tonight," he told her in a seemingly offhanded manner.

She glanced at him, head tilted to one side in curiosity. "Why is it too bad?" she queried.

Eriol grinned, giving her a look that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She was glad it was dark so that he didn't see the coloring of her cheeks. "A full moon is more romantic," he told her.

Tomoyo waved a hand in the air, letting sparkling dust fall into her waiting palm. She blew lightly, letting the sparks spiral up into the air and make a brightly gleaming full moon in the sky. Repeating the gesture, she let the shards of light make the flowers glow faintly with a pale, moon glow. Turning to a silently approving Eriol she grinned. "Just a little trick that I've found handy. It's magical moon dust that causes things to glow at whatever intensity I want it to. Unfortunately, the moon in the sky will only last as long as the sky you created is kept up," she informed him.

"Well then, perhaps we ought to increase the shine of the stars?" Eriol suggested as he swept a hand in the air, the stars shining like jewels in the sky.

"It's really beautiful," Tomoyo told him as they left for lunch an hour later. As she stepped out from the garden, the bright sunlight struck her eyes, blinding her for a moment and making her stumble.

Eriol caught her arm and pulled her close, steadying her as she blinked rapidly, clearing her vision.

"Th-thank you Eriol-kun," she said quietly, blushing at their closeness. She pulled away and led the way back into the castle.

"Anything to keep you from falling," Eriol replied with soft seriousness.

Tomoyo froze and turned around, her heartbeat loud in her ears. There was no laughter in her companion's eyes. There was only concern, care…and something more…. Something Tomoyo was a little afraid to name just yet. _It hasn't even been a week since I met him!_ "Thank you again, Eriol-kun," she replied as she held out her hand to the prince.

Eriol could see the fear and confusion in her innocent, amethyst eyes, and it hurt. He knew that he couldn't scare her with affection as he just had. _Tomoyo-chan is not ready…_ even though he himself knew that he was slowly beginning to fall for her. "It is nothing," he told her, his normal, casual smile on his face. "Now, I believe we might ask Touya-kun to make us something tasty for lunch ne?"

Laughing easily, and secretly a little relieved that the uncomfortable moment had passed, Tomoyo tugged lightly on Eriol's sleeve like an impatient girl who wanted her lunch. "As long as he makes it quickly I can't complain," she replied over the growling of both their stomachs.

* * *

Please review? And can someone tell me how the heck I can make larger spaces between paragraphs?

Cobalt Rose


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